The relative performance of less developed countries in their health, demographic and economic sectors was assessed by means of comparative indices constructed with the help of a factor analysis. This approach reduces the problems usually associated with such indices, like the arbitrary weighting of their components.

This study based on the 1975–76 Bangladesh Fertility Survey showed that the mortality of sons, and not daughters, was associated with a lower rate of female contraceptive initiation of use and a higher rate of discontinuation.

Reported information on the duration of post-partum amenorrhoea usually shows considerable number preference, particularly at 6-monthly intervals. This paper presents a technique for smoothing such amenorrhoea data using a modified exponential curve. An attempt has also been made to estimate the average number of months a mother is expected to remain amenorrhoeic.

Analysis of British National Child Development Study data corroborates the long held views that first born children tend to get more medical surveillance than those of later birth order, and that there is a direct relationship between achieved family size and social status.

The effect of lactation on menstrual cycles, ovulation and conception was studied in a group of non-contracepting Amerindian Mopan Mayan women. Anthropological observations of relevant events were made over a 21-month period. Blood samples were assayed to determine the plasma concentrations of prolactin, luteinising hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin, placental lactogen, oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. The data show that: frequent and prolonged breast-feeding was associated with a marked increase in plasma prolactin concentrations to levels similar to those in lactating Gaing but higher than those in lactating Scottish women; ovulatory menstrual cycles and pregnancy occurred during frequent lactation; in lactating menstruating women there was an inverse correlation between fat weight and months post-partum. These data suggest that other factors as well as suckling account for the effects of lactation on fecundity.

Medical Officer of Health reports for London boroughs, 1900–19, are analysed to determine the incidence of neonatal breast-feeding, duration of lactation, reasons for early supplementation and premature weaning, and their relationship with infant mortality. In a sample of 222,989 infants, breast-feeding rates were very high. Over 90% were breast-fed in the first month, almost 80% at 3 months, and over 70% at 6 months. The poorest boroughs had the highest rates of neonatal breast-feeding, but also a higher incidence of early supplementation and premature weaning. There was a significant positive correlation between breast-feeding and infant mortality due to poor maternal diet and health, poor nutritional quality of supplementary and substitute foods, and the use of an unhygienic feeding bottle. Energetic campaigns to counteract these problems probably contributed to the fall of infant mortality in this period.

The presence of a seasonal pattern of spontaneous abortion in the United States was found using data from the two most recent cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth (USA). The pattern was bimodal with peaks in March and August.

Response consistency was examined by linking the records of women interviewed in the 1982 Sri Lanka Contraceptive Prevalence Survey with records from the same individuals followed up 3 years later. Seventy-eight percent of women reported identical year of birth in the two surveys, but only 58% were consistent for age at marriage. Data on sterilisation and number of children born were highly reliable, but wives' reports on husband's age and education were relatively weak. Multivariate analysis of the effects of socioeconomic factors on consistency in age reporting confirms that education is the most influential factor related to consistency, followed by religion and husband's occupation.

The relationship between subsequent lengths of lactational amenorrhoea for individual women in a prospective study of breast-feeding women in Bangladesh was studied. The data indicate that previous length of amenorrhoea has significant predictive value for the subsequent length of amenorrhoea. Information on previous experience with lactational amenorrhoea should be therefore incorporated into guidelines for the introduction of family planning during lactation.

In a time series study of the USA from 1933 to 1984, fertility rates were associated with the suicide rates of those aged 15–44. The higher the fertility rate the lower the suicide rate for these age groups, for both whites and non-whites, and for both men and women. The results were seen as supporting Durkheim's theory of suicide.

Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables were taken from 4320 children in a baseline survey carried out in March–April 1988 in the district of Mbarara, south-west Uganda. After 12 months a follow-up survey assessed the mortality of the children during the preceding year. Lack of ownership of cattle, recent arrival in the village, using candles for lighting, being of birth order higher than 5 and having a father with less than 8 years of schooling were significantly associated with child mortality. The addition of mid-upper arm circumference significantly improved the logistic model of socioeconomic variables and mortality and did not diminish the predictive power of socioeconomic variables in relation to increased mortality. This suggests that nutritional status and specific socioeconomic factors are both, independently, important predictors of child mortality.

The repeated-pairs of surnames in marriages (RP) approach is applied to the population of Tiszaszalka in north-eastern Hungary. The results indicate that: (1) lineage-like behaviour in mate choice results in population subdivision in both the Catholics and the Protestants of the village; (2) unlike in some other Tiszahat villages, the isonymous and the repeating unions in Tiszaszalka occur in different lineages so, in neither of these subpopulations are isonymous and repeating unions monopolised by a few lineages; (3) religious affilitation influences the mating structure of the population as measured by RP summary scores.

There has been a dramatic increase in age at marriage for women in a rural area of north India. Age at marriage rose from under 12 years before 1930 to about 19 years in 1988, mainly as a result of socioeconomic development and advances in education of women.

Analysis of a further four samples of first names in the index of marriages registered in England and Wales in the first 3 months of 1975 support the claim that there is no significant difference of ‘between’ versus ‘within’ registration district Ri. Since given names show none of the localisation seen in surnames, the surname geography is ascribable to genetic rather than cultural factors of personal naming. The correct formulations for coefficient of relationship by isonymy are given.