Une action pilote sur l'hygiene corporelle a ete developpee pendant 2 ans aupres d'une population d'un quartier particulierement defavorise. Une etude approfondie des besoins (rencontre des publics-relais, realisation d'une enquete epidemiologique) a permis d'analyser la situation et de mettre au point une strategie elaboree par trois groupes de travail (medical, scolaire et familial). Les actions concernaient les enfants et les parents. La mesure de l'impact de la campagne a ete tres positive: amelioration de la proprete des enfants a l'arrivee a l'ecole, soins dentaires plus nombreux, etc. Grâce a la reproductibilite de la methode utilisee et a l'elaboration d'un coffret pedagogique, ce type d'experience s'est multiplie au cours des annees sur l'ensemble du departement du Doubs
Although adolescents in Reunion have a pregnancy rate of 77/1000, twice that of France, there are no published studies on the themes of adolescent pregnancy and parenthood. 105 women under 18 including 20 aged 14 who gave birth in 1 maternity center were analyzed for sociofamilial characteristics and perinatal complications. The educational level of the adolescent mothers was low and 47% had stopped school before the pregnancy. 1/3 expected to find employment or return to work after delivery. 19% were already in consensual unions at the time of pregnancy and 34% had entered such unions after delivery. It was the 2nd pregnancy for 11.5%. Only 8.5% used contraception. The age difference with the partner was over 5 years for more than half. 68% had known the father for more than 1 year. At the time of pregnancy, 35% lived in families with 2 parents and 36% in households headed by their mothers. Heads of 50% of all their households and 80% of those headed by the mothers were unemployed. 44% had more than 6 siblings. 20% had 1 or more sisters who were adolescent mothers. Comparison with a group of 62 adolescents seeking abortions at the same center indicated several factors that appeared to encourage continuation of the pregnancy; including being below age level in school, absence of plans for education or employment, limited use of contraception, and having a much older partner. Risk factors at the level of the family included absence of the father, maternal tolerance, poverty, and sisters who were single mothers. 27% states retrospectively that they would have preferred to terminate the pregnancy, but all stated they were satisfied after the delivery. 41% had problems in pregnancy or delivery. 10.5% had toxemia and 23% had low birth weight babies. 5.7% had caesareans, mainly for eclampsia and acute fetal distress. There was 1 stillbirth and 2 cases of cogenital malformations. 14 newborns were transferred were transferred to the neonatology unit for various problems, including 6 weighing under 2000 g. Compared to the general population, the rate of fetal growth retardation was 3 times higher and that of neonatal pathology requiring transfer to the neonatology unit was 2 times higher among adolescent mothers. Prenatal care was inadequate in many cases. 35% of 14-year-old mothers had 3 or fewer prenatal visits.
The demographer's interest in examining the desire to have children and parenthood is explained. The author notes that demographers are concerned with interpretable behavior and that one example of this is the deduction that effective modern contraception has lead to the programming of births. The emphasis of the paper is on the analysis of fertility. Consideration is given to the relationship between individual and collective aspects of fertility. The focus is on developed societies (SUMMARY IN ENG)
Changing attitudes toward procreation during the course of history are examined. The author notes the low status of children that continued up to the sixteenth century, when interest in children and a growing approval of maternal instincts developed. It is suggested that the development of effective contraception in the last 20 years or so, coupled with the growing acceptance of induced abortion, is linked to an increase in the desire for children and an emphasis on the maternal function. The article also considers the changing role in modern society of the father. The focus is on developed societies
The consequences of modernization on attitudes toward children, the functions of the child in the family, and the ambiguities inherent in the desire to have children are reviewed. The approach taken is sociological. The development of fertility strategies by individual couples is considered. Factors affecting such a strategy are analyzed, including the concept of the child as both an investment and a consumer item, the need to develop a special relationship, the acceptance of the obligations involved, the desire for social participation, and the cultural influence of society as a whole. The focus is on the situation in developed societies
