July 18, 2012 Clippings

Why is male sterilisation the least preferred family planning method?

Family planning is a bone stuck in our governments throat. A recent survey conducted in 9 states showed that male sterialization remains the least preferred means of family planning. The survey was conducted in 284 districts in nine states – Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Assam, constituting 48 percent of India’s population.

The survey found that female sterilisation is the most preferred method of family planning while percentage of male sterilisation continues to remain negligible. The health secretary P.K. Pradhan stated that although a few men have come forward for the procedure, there is still a lot to be done in order to make family planning a reality. The survey also found stark differences within states on parameters like total fertility rate, current usage of family planning, mean age at marriage, delivery care and immunisation. More than half of currently married woman aged 15-49 years are not using any method of family planning in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. As many as 98 districts have reported less than 50 percent current usage of any method of family planning. Only 12 districts of 284 surveyed districts feature in 70 percent and above category.

The survey found that in 164 districts, a woman bears more than three children on an average with the highest (six) born to a woman in Shrawasti (Uttar Pradesh) and lowest (two) in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. The survey found that marriages among females taking place below legal age (18 years) are rampant in rural areas as compared to urban areas. “In rural areas every fourth marriage in Rajasthan, every fifth in Bihar and Jharkhand takes place below the legal age. It has been noted that higher proportion of males are getting married below legal age (21 years) as compared to females in these states.

Source: http://health.india.com

18.07.2012

                 

It's okay to drink coffee during pregnancy

The research of more than 3,400 five and six-year-olds has found no evidence that the children's behavioral problems were related to their mothers' caffeine intake during pregnancy.

According to study author Eva Loomans, from Tilburg University in the Netherlands, youngsters whose mothers drank around three cups of coffee a day had not greater risk of suffering from inattention than those who had none.

However, she added that this didn't mean that caffeine might not be harmful, as the study did not focus at any other developmental issues besides problem behaviour, the Daily Mail reported.

For now, she suggests that pregnant women should follow their doctors' advice. The NHS recommends that pregnant women shouldn't consume more than 200mg of caffeine a day - or a 12oz cup of coffee. High levels of caffeine can cause babies to have a low birth weight while too much can also lead to a miscarriage.

However, the question of whether a mother's caffeine intake could affect her child's development in some way remains. So far, there's little proof that it does.

Instead, much of the concern comes from animal research - which has suggested caffeine can affect foetal brain development in a way that alters behaviour later in life. Whether that's true for humans is not known. In the latest study, researchers said that prenatal caffeine did not appear to be related to 'problem behaviour.'

The research involved 3,439 Amsterdam children whose mothers had completed detailed questionnaires on lifestyle and other factors during pregnancy. When the children were between the ages of five and six, their mothers and teachers were surveyed about behaviour problems.

Overall, about five percent of children had some type of behavioural problem, like hyperactivity or inattention. But the risk was no greater for those whose mothers drank large daily doses of caffeine. Loomans cautioned that there is still more to be learned about caffeine and children's long-term development.

This study could only look at the overall relationship between mothers' self-reports of caffeine intake and their reports on their children's behaviour. That does not necessarily mean caffeine has no effects, she clarified.

The study was reported in the journal Pediatrics.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

18.07.2012

If better were within, better would come out

Thomas Fuller