Alternative explanations of the dependence of the density of centers on the density of population

"The paper is devoted to modeling the relationship between the density of service centers and the density of population (or...the density of demand). Several models lead to an exponential function with the exponent equal to [two-thirds]. For a number of real systems of centers, the power is considerably different from [two-thirds] (more often it is nearer to 1). I describe a series of models that explain this difference." The application of the model to U.S. data is discussed.

[Latin America: reasons for hope]

According to official figures, Latin America is almost an empty continent. The low population density, the decrease in population growth, the low use of the land and the improvement in the availability of food, health and education indexes, point to the fact that restrictive politics in population growth are not of interest to this region. On the contrary, an increase in population density is important in the development of this new civilization. In order to avoid the defects found in some industrialized countries, the anthropocetrism has to be linked to reality which is transcendent and has God as his foundation.

[Demographic characteristics of consumers in Indonesia?]

"This paper presents a mosaic of business opportunities arising from the different demographic characteristics of the provinces in the western part of Indonesia. The author discusses the total number of population, density, and per capita income to [shed] some light on the volume of the market. He also presents the business impact of the [changes] in fertility, mortality, and the...life style of those aged 40-64." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

A comparison of empirical models on determinants of infant mortality: a cross-national study on Africa

The goal of achieving health for all by the year 2000 has instigated numerous studies on the determinants of health. In this paper, we re-evaluate two models in which infant mortality--across twenty-eight low- and middle-income African states--is explained by socioeconomic, demographic, medical, environmental and political factors. The results indicate that the GNP per capita, school population as a percentage of the population under 19, population density and the percentage of the population with access to health care together explained 80% of the variations in infant mortality in the sample study. Apart from the GNP per capita and the school population as a percentage of the population under 19 which were negative and statistically significant, variables of importance for health policy, e.g. female literacy rate, water supply, food aid, calorie supply, health care expenditure and the degree of urbanization carried a negative sign but were nonsignificant. We interpreted the above thus: a reduction in infant mortality is feasible only with changes on diverse fronts rather than by marginal improvements in a few determining factors. A comparative test of the replicated model and our proposed model has shown that our model produced a better theoretical and statistical fitting than did the replicated model.

Population pressure, intensification of agriculture, and rural-urban migration

"In this paper I provide an analytical basis for why labor absorption [in agriculture] may improve with higher population density. My argument is in two parts. First, analysing agriculture in isolation, I use the Boserup insight to show that higher population density is associated with more intensive techniques of land use. Second, using a two-sector model, I show that the rate of labor absorption (defined as the rate of natural population growth minus the rate of rural-urban migration) increases with the intensity of land use." Cross-sectional data for Iran are used to illustrate the model.

The distribution of urban population and income: explorations using six Asian cases

"Urban concentration (or primacy) and inequality (in size distribution of income) are expected to follow bell shaped curves through the development process. Spatial convergence (through investments in transportation etc.) is expected to precede income convergence. Using longitudinal data from six Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India) this paper shows that (i) the bell shapes for urban concentration and income inequality generally hold, and (ii) the temporal relationship between the curve peaks is determined by geographical factors (for urban concentration); income inequality is seen to be more policy amenable."

Crossovers that link populations with the same vital rates

"In this paper, we consider crossovers of demographic density distributions from...populations that have the same fertility and mortality rates. We focus on observed populations and their associated stationary and stable models, and on proportional distributions of persons, births, deaths and reproductive values.... Three different populations were selected to represent a range of demographic behavior. Those populations are Japan 1963, a low mortality, low fertility population; Togo 1961, a high mortality, high fertility population; and the United States 1919-1921, a population whose fertility and mortality are intermediate."

Demography of the Hadza, an increasing and high density population of Savanna foragers

This is a report on the demography of the Hadza, a population of East African hunter-gatherers. In it, we describe the results of a census, and our estimation of age structure, survivorship, mean age of women at childbearing, number of live children, total population size and density, and rate of change since 1967. We show that relevant measures fit closely the stable population model North 6 chosen by Dyson to represent Hadza demography in the 1960s. We compare aspects of Hadza demography with surrounding non-Hadza and with the !Kung. Among other things, we find that the Hadza have a higher population density, higher fertility, and a faster population growth rate than do the !Kung. These demographic differences are consistent with our expectations, which were based on differences in the costs and benefits of foraging in the two regions. We also show that Hadza demographic parameters display remarkable consistency over the past 20 years. Since neighboring populations have been encroaching on the area used by the Hadza, and Hadza foragers have been subject to interludes of externally imposed settlement, this consistency is surprising. We discuss some of the implications.

[A new measure for degree of urbanization: the address density of the surrounding area]

A new method of measuring the degree of urbanization of a given area, developed by the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics, is introduced. "The measure classifies areas according to what is called address density of the surroundings: the average address density within a radius of 1 km of an address in the area." The advantages are discussed, and the measure is used to classify the 647 municipalities in the Netherlands into five groups according to urbanization level. (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Are we ignoring population density in health planning? The issues of availability and accessibility

Availability of health facilities is commonly expressed in terms of the number of persons dependent on one unit. Whether that unit is actually accessible to those persons depends, however, on the population density. Some examples illustrate the precise relationship. A measure of accessibility is obtained by expressing the availability of facilities as 'one unit within x km distance' (for the average--or, preferably, the median--person). This measure is therefore to be preferred.

Skin infections in Tanna, Vanuatu in 1989

Skin infections are an important health problem in Vanuatu and other Pacific island countries. In this study, 18,223 people, representing 90% of the population of the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu, were examined. Scabies was found in 16% of those screened, with 24% of children under 10 years affected. Other skin infections were predominantly furuncles, abscesses, impetigo and cellulitis and were found in 12% overall and in 16% of children under 10 years of age. These infections were found to be more common in larger households and in the vicinity of the volcano Yasur. Strategies for prevention and management of skin infections in Vanuatu are discussed.

Seroepidemiology of cytomegalovirus infection among children between the ages of 4 and 12 years in Taiwan

To determine risk factors responsible for primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in Taiwan, samples of blood for antibody to CMV were obtained from 362 children aged 4 to 12 years: 58% were found to be positive for anti-CMV IgG antibody. Logistic regression analysis showed that seropositivity correlated with age, method of delivery, duration of breast feeding, and younger age of mother. Neither socioeconomic status nor crowded living conditions showed significant correlation with CMV seropositivity. Primary CMV infection in Taiwan appears to be less related to socioeconomic status shown in western countries, and, since the majority of pregnant women were seropositive in Taiwan, two of the major sources of primary CMV transmission are infected breast milk and the infected genital tract.

Migration stock and the issue of competing and complementary flows in United States interstate migration

"The purpose of this paper is to study the determinants of interstate migration in the United States from 1965-1970 when a new change in direction of migration has started, and to examine the flow creation or flow diversion that results from migration to some appealing regions. Several related variables have been selected and tested for gross interstate migration flows. The results show that overall both push and pull factors have not been important.... Distance was not found to act as a significant deterrence to migration, whereas population density of origin and destination was significant. Previous migration was found to have a very strong effect on migration. The results of the study also suggested that there has been a major change in the location of growth areas in the United States during 1955-1970."

The prevalence of Toxoplasma infection among pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria

The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women from the inner area of Ibadan was determined by the dye test. Two hundred and seventy-three of the 352 women (78%) had dye test titres of 1/16 or greater with 165 (47%) having titres of 1/128 or greater. In contrast, 42 of 192 pregnant women (22%) from the Swansea area of the UK were dye test positive with only six (3%) having titres of 1/128. The possibility that reinfection or recrudescence is responsible for maintaining high antibody levels in African women and the consequence of this high level of infection in relation to potential human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infections are discussed. Social and environmental conditions indicate that the source of infection is contact with cat faeces.