Benefits of meeting the contraceptive needs of Ugandan women

This brief describes current patterns of contraceptive use in Uganda and documents the high costs associated with persistently high unmet need for modern contraceptives. Building on prior work and using national data sets to project estimates for 2008, we outline the net benefits to women and society of averting unintended pregnancies with current levels of use and under two scenarios of increased investment in modern contraception. Although enabling women to meet their childbearing preferences leads to an array of benefits--such as enhancing women's ability to go to school, enter the workforce and participate politically--we focus exclusively on the health and monetary savings from averting unintended pregnancy.

Birth outcomes among Arab Americans in Michigan before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether the incidence of adverse birth outcomes among Arab Americans in Michigan changed after September 11, 2001.

DESIGN

Birth data were collected on all births in Michigan from September 11, 2000, to March 11, 2001, and from September 11, 2001, to March 11, 2002. Self-reported ancestry and a name algorithm were used to determine Arab American ethnicity. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between birth before/after September 11 and birth outcomes. Main outcome measures were low birth weight (LBW), very low birth weight (VLBW), and preterm birth (PTB).

RESULTS

We observed no association between birth before/after September 11 and risk of adverse birth outcomes among Arab Americans in Michigan by using either the name algorithm or self-reported ancestry to determine Arab American ethnicity. Arab name was significantly associated with lower risk of VLBW and PTB in adjusted and unadjusted models. Arab ancestry was significantly associated with lower risk of VLBW and PTB in adjusted and unadjusted models and significantly associated with lower risk of LBW in an unadjusted model.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to previous findings in California, we observed no difference in adverse birth outcomes before and after the events of September 11, 2001, among Arab Americans in Michigan. Arab American ethnicity is associated with lower risk of adverse birth outcomes compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

Births: final data for 2005

OBJECTIVES

This report presents 2005 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, and educational attainment; maternal lifestyle and health characteristics (medical risk factors, weight gain, and tobacco use); medical care utilization by pregnant women (prenatal care, obstetric procedures, characteristics of labor and/or delivery, attendant at birth, and method of delivery); and infant characteristics (period of gestation, birthweight, Apgar score, congenital anomalies, and multiple births). Also presented are birth and fertility rates by age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's state of residence are shown, as well as data on month and day of birth, sex ratio, and age of father. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 4.1 million births that occurred in 2005 are presented. Denominators for population-based rates are postcensal estimates derived from the U.S. 2000 census.

RESULTS

In 2005, 4,138,349 births were registered in the United States, 1 percent more than in 2004. The 2005 crude birth rate was 14.0, unchanged from the previous year; the general fertility rate increased slightly to 66.7. Teenage childbearing continued to decline, dropping to the lowest levels recorded. Rates for women aged 20-29 were fairly stable, whereas childbearing among women 30 years of age and older increased. All measures of unmarried childbearing rose substantially in 2005. Smoking during pregnancy continued to decline. No improvement was seen in the timely initiation of prenatal care. The cesarean delivery rate climbed to more than 30 percent of all births, another all-time high. Preterm and low birthweight rates also continued to rise; the twin birth rate was unchanged and the rate of triplet and higher order multiple births declined for the 7th consecutive year.

Stable aggregate fertility in a time of family change: a decomposition of trends in American fertility, 1970-1999

Population-level birth rates in the United States were largely stable between 1970 and 1999. This stability contrasts with rapid change in marriage rates and fertility timing during the same period. In this article, I use decomposition techniques to analyze this seeming paradox. I decompose the general fertility rate into four components: age distribution, marital status, age-specific nonmarital fertility, and age-specific marital fertility. Absent other changes, declining time spent married would have led to substantial decline in fertility. Several factors combined to counterbalance these changes in marital behavior. Among white women in the 1970s and 1980s, marital fertility rates increased at older ages, consistent with a scenario in which women postponed both marriage and childbearing; increased nonmarital birth rates during this period were not a driving factor in overall fertility trends. Increased nonmarital fertility was more important in compensating for declining time spent married among African American women and among white women in the 1990s.

Seasonality of birth in the majors, 1880-1999

We examined two alternative explanations, one demographic, the other sociological, for the uneven distribution of birth months of Major League baseball (MLB) players active between 1880 and 1999. Beginning in 1900, players born between August and October were significantly overrepresented, and this uneven distribution was almost identical for the next five 20-year periods. During the last 20-year period (1980-1999), the disparity in birth months became even more pronounced. Ethnicity, handedness, player position, accomplishment (winning an award), and career length were not significantly related to birth month. Prior to 1980, the distribution of births for MLB players did not differ significantly from the distribution for the general population, but after 1980, it did. We concluded that up until 1980, the uneven distribution of birth months in MLB originated in the demographic seasonality-related excess number of births in August and September in the United States. Beginning in the 1980s, this seasonality pattern was institutionally reinforced by the growing influence of Little League and related junior baseball leagues and their reliance on the August 1 birth date for age grouping.

Characteristics of births to single- and multiple-race women: California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington, 2003

OBJECTIVES

In 2003, California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Ohio (for births occurring in December only), Utah, and Washington provided to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) multiple as well as single racial entries that mothers and fathers had reported on birth certificates in accordance with the revised race and ethnicity standards issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1997. This report provides detailed data on women reporting single race (one race) and multiple race (two or more races) by selected demographic and health characteristics (e.g., fertility, age at first birth, Hispanic ethnicity, marital status, country of birth, preterm birth, and low birthweight) of the women and their infants. Data presented in this report are derived from birth certificates from the five states that collected, reported, and transmitted to NCHS multiple-race data as of January 1, 2003 (California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington). Data on selected demographic and health characteristics were analyzed comparing single-race mothers to multiple-race mothers.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the single- and multiple-race births that occurred in the reporting area in 2003 are presented.

RESULTS

In 2003, 2.5 percent of births in California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington were to women who reported two or more races, with levels varying from 1 (Utah) to 33 percent (Hawaii). Birth and fertility rates for single-race (one race) groups were generally lower than the rates for multiple-race groups (each race in combination with one or more other races), whereas age at first birth was generally higher for single-race women than for multiple-race women. The percentages of Hispanic births to single-race black, American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) women were lower than the percentage for women reporting those races in combination with one or more of the other races (multiple race). The percentage of births to unmarried women was higher among single-race black and AIAN women compared with multiple-race black and AIAN women, whereas the proportions were considerably higher for multiple-race white, Asian, and NHOPI women than for their single-race counterparts. The percentage of mothers born in the 50 states and the District of Columbia was consistently higher for multiple-race women than single-race women. In terms of infant health characteristics, infants of single-race white and Asian women had a lower preterm birth rate than infants of multiple-race white and Asian women, whereas infants of single-race black and AIAN women had higher preterm rates than infants of multiple-race black and AIAN women. The low birthweight rate was also significantly lower for single-race white, Asian, and NHOPI women than their multiple-race counterparts. In comparison, the rate for single-race black women was higher than the rate for multiple-race black women.

Introduction: Aging in Asia--perennial concerns on support and caring for the old

This introductory article provides background to an understanding of "Aging in Asia," focusing on the demographics of population aging in Asia. It discusses the differences in the magnitude of the aged population in different parts of Asia and highlights the perennial concerns of care and support facing the aged and their families as Asian societies grapple with the graying population. Globalization is one important factor presenting new challenges as well as opportunities to aging Asia. The introduction substantiates the discussions in this special issue, which range from an examination of broad issues of support for the aged and policy directions in East and Southeast Asia, to specific concerns relating to activity and elderly in Singapore, intergenerational relationships in Korea, and issues concerning caregiving of the old in Singapore.

Adult Attachment and Declining Birthrates

Attachment scores for 658 young adults living in the USA were obtained using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale. The participants came from a subsample of the RELATE data set, who had also filled out the adult attachment measure. Those young adults living in Utah County, Utah, an area of the country with a higher than normal birthrate (88% members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), also had higher than average adult attachment scores. While the methodology was not sufficient to assess causal direction nor eliminate the possibility of unidentified influences, an undiscussed psychological factor, adult attachment, may play a role in the numerical declines observed among nonimmigrant communities in the USA and Europe.

Seasonality of birth in children and young adults (0-29 years) with type 1 diabetes in Ukraine

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown differences in seasonality of birth patterns between the general population and the group who develop type 1 diabetes mellitus. This finding indicates that environmental factors operating during pre- and/or postnatal development could be aetiologically important. We examined whether the pattern of month of birth for type 1 diabetes patients in Ukraine differs from that for total live births.

METHODS

Data consist of prevalent cases of type 1 diabetes in Ukraine by the end of 2003. Cases are restricted to persons born after 1 January 1960, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 30 years (n = 20,117). People born during the same time in the general population (n = 29,105,560) were the reference standard. Seasonal patterns were estimated using logistic regression with harmonic terms.

RESULTS

We found a strongly significant seasonal pattern of type 1 diabetes incidence rates (p < 0.001), with the lowest rates in December and the highest in April. The rate ratio between the extremes was 1.32 (95% CI 1.27-1.39). Tests for seasonal patterns in subgroups defined by sex and age or by sex and date of birth were all significant with p values less than 0.02. We found no interactions with sex (p = 0.142) or age at diagnosis (p = 0.207), but found a strong interaction with period of birth (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

The results obtained indicate that early-life factors linked to seasons may influence type 1 diabetes risk later in life.

Innocence and experience: sexuality among young people in modern France, c. 1750-1950

Prying into the sex lives of young people in the past has always proved a challenging exercise. Historians have often ended up relying on the testimony from adult observers or on the quantitative evidence provided by illegitimacy rates. This article adopts a more direct route by drawing on first-hand accounts of early sexual experiences written by French people in diaries, childhood reminiscences and autobiographies. As a preliminary, it analyses the way various authorities depicted young people as sexual (or non-sexual) beings, and the state of sex education in France before the mid-twentieth century. It then considers the way people depicted their first stirrings of sexuality during childhood and adolescence. Finally, it examines evidence from the "ego documents" on sexual relations in the run-up to marriage.

Births: final data for 2004

OBJECTIVES

This report presents 2004 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, and educational attainment; maternal lifestyle and health characteristics (medical risk factors, weight gain, and tobacco use); medical care utilization by pregnant women (prenatal care, obstetric procedures, characteristics of labor and/or delivery, attendant at birth, and method of delivery); and infant characteristics (period of gestation, birthweight, Apgar score, congenital anomalies, and multiple births). Also presented are birth and fertility rates by age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's state of residence are shown, as well as data on month and day of birth, sex ratio, and age of father. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 4.1 million births that occurred in 2004 are presented. Denominators for population-based rates are post-censal estimates derived from the U.S. 2000 census.

RESULTS

In 2004, 4,112,052 births were registered in the United States, less than 1 percent more than the number in 2003. The crude birth rate declined slightly; the general fertility rate increased by less than 1 percent. Childbearing among teenagers and women aged 20-24 years declined to record lows. Rates for women aged 25-34 and 45-49 years were unchanged, whereas rates for women aged 35-44 years increased. All measures of unmarried childbearing rose in 2004. Smoking during pregnancy continued to decline. No improvement was seen in the timely initiation of prenatal care. The cesarean delivery rate jumped 6 percent to another all-time high, whereas the rate of vaginal birth after previous cesarean fell by 13 percent. Preterm and low birthweight rates continued their steady rise. The twinning rate increased, but the rate of triplet and higher order multiple births was down slightly.

Natural conception after age 45 in Bedouin women, a uniquely fertile population

PURPOSE

Women conceiving naturally and delivering after age 45 are an exceptionally fertile population that may serve as a model to identify factors associated with delayed reproductive aging. This work studies this phenomenon in Bedouin women.

METHODS

The study is an observational retrospective analysis of all Bedouin women who conceived spontaneously and had their latest delivery after the age of 45 years, during the years 1995-2000 at the participating medical center. Complete histories of the outcomes of all pregnancies were collected.

RESULTS

133 of 34,519 (0.38%) Bedouin women gave birth after the age of 45 years. The mean maternal age at last delivery was 46+/-1.4 years (range: 45-52), and the mean parity was 11.6+/-2.9 children (range: 3-18). 96% were grandmultiparous (> or =6 deliveries). The mean spontaneous abortion rate (6.6%) was not affected by increased parity and was significantly lower than in the general population: 12.4% vs.17.7% at age 39, 5% vs. 33.8% (p < 0.001) at age 44 and 1.8% vs. 53.2% (p < 0.001) at age 45.

CONCLUSIONS

This unique group of Bedouin women may have a genetic predisposition to delayed ovarian and oocyte aging.

Marital fertility and religion in Spain, 1985 and 1999

Since the transition to democracy in Spain in 1975, both total fertility and rates of church attendance of Catholics have dropped dramatically. In this study the 1985 and 1999 Spanish Fertility Surveys were used to investigate whether the significance of religion for fertility behaviour -- current family size and the spacing of births -- changed between the survey dates. In the 1985 survey, family size was similar for those Catholics who actively participated in religious activities and those who, though nominally Catholic, were not active participants. By 1999, the family size of the latter was lower and comparable to the family size of those without religious affiliation. These findings accord with the declines in both church attendance and fertility in Spain. The small groups of Protestants and Muslims had the highest fertility. Women in inter-faith unions had relatively low fertility.

How big are educational and racial fertility differentials in the U.S.?

Using pooled data from the 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995 CPS and 1988 and 1995 NSFG surveys, we show that shifts in fertility timing have occurred disproportionately for the more educated and for whites (compared to the less educated and to African Americans). Such timing shifts imply that the underlying period quantum of fertility is considerably higher for college-educated women and for whites than suggested by the standard total fertility rate. Applying the Bongaarts-Feeney model (1998), we decompose observed racial and educational differences in age-order-specific fertility rates and TFR into tempo and quantum components. We find that a modest part of educational differences and a substantial part of racial difference in period fertility can be attributed to differential changes in tempo. Analysis by race and education shows a clear interaction: higher fertility among African Americans is confined to the less educated.

Ethnicity and fertility in Nigeria

Using a sample of Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo, and all other women from the 1990 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey, this study examines ethnic fertility differentials in Nigeria within the context of the social characteristics and cultural hypotheses. Among all women, we find the net fertility of Hausa-Fulani women to be lower than that of Other women; with no statistically significant difference in the net fertility of Ibo, Yourba, and Other women. But, among currently married women, we find the net fertility of Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba women to be lower than that of Other women, while the net fertility of Ibo women is higher than that of Other women. Overall, the findings of this study are more consistent with the cultural hypothesis, because statistically significant fertility differentials by ethnicity remain, even after controlling for selected socioeconomic and demographic variables.

Fertility and abortion rates in the United States, 1960-2002

This paper provides a general overview of trends in the United States (US) birth, fertility and abortion data from 1960 to 2002. Rates by age, race and Hispanic origin are also discussed. Data presented in this paper are derived primarily from published reports of the US government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In 2002, there were 4,021,726 births in the US. The general fertility rate was 64.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, the total fertility rate was 2013.0 children per 1,000 women, and the net reproduction rate was 968 daughters per 1000 women. These rates have declined in the US since 1960, down by at least 44% for all rates. While these rates have been declining, there are substantial differences in fertility patterns by age and race and Hispanic origin. Rates for women, 30 years of age and over, increased between 1980 and 2002. In contrast, rates for women under 25 years of age rose considerably during the late 1980s, and then decreased sharply since 1991. Rates for women in their late twenties (25-29 years of age), the principal childbearing ages, have fluctuated within a narrow range throughout this period (1980-2002). As a result of the increase in births to older women, the mean age of mother at first birth increased by nearly 4 years from 1968 to 2002. In 2000, the latest year for which data are available, there were 21.3 induced abortions per 1000 women aged 15-44 years, down from 27.4 in 1990. The total abortion rate, average number of legally induced abortions that would occur to a hypothetical cohort of 1000 women, was 672.0 abortions per 1,000 women in 2000, down from 785.5 in 1980. The abortion rate has declined fairly steadily since 1980. Like the birth and fertility rates, substantial differences in abortion rates exist by age and race and Hispanic origin. The rates of induced abortion increased for women in their thirties between 1980 and 2000, whereas rates for women under 25 years of age and women 40 years of age and over decreased since 1980. The rate for women 25-29 years of age changed little. The rate of induced abortion was considerably higher for non-Hispanic black women (57.4) in 2000 than for non-Hispanic white women (11.7). The rate for Hispanic women (30.6) was intermediate. The total abortion rate was also much higher for non-Hispanic black women than non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women.

Births: preliminary data for 2004

OBJECTIVES

This report presents preliminary data for 2004 on births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, tobacco use, prenatal care, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight (LBW) are also presented.

METHODS

Data in this report are based on 99.1 percent of births for 2004. The records are weighted to independent control counts of all births received in State vital statistics offices in 2004. Comparisons are made with 2003 data.

RESULTS

The crude birth rate declined 1 percent to 14.0 births per 1,000 population. The fertility rate, however, rose slightly to 66.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years. Birth rates for teenagers 15-19 years declined modestly. The rate in 2004 was 41.2 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years, 1 percent lower than in 2003. Rates declined 1 percent each for teenagers 15-17 and 18-19 years. The rate for 10-14 year-olds increased slightly. The birth rate for women aged 20-24 years declined 1 percent to 101.8, a record low for the Nation. The rate for women aged 25-29 years remained essentially unchanged at 115.5 per 1,000. The birth rate for women aged 30-34 years rose less than 1 percent to 95.5 per 1,000, whereas the rates for women aged 35-39 and 40-44 years increased 3 to 4 percent each. The rate for women aged 45-49 years rose to 0.6 per 1,000. Childbearing by unmarried women rose to a record high of almost 1.5 million births in 2004, a 4-percent increase from 2003. The proportion of all births to unmarried women increased to 35.7 percent. Smoking during pregnancy declined slightly in 2004, to 10.2 percent of mothers in the 40-State reporting area. There was no improvement in timely receipt of prenatal care. In 2004, 83.9 percent of mothers in the 41-State reporting area began care in the first trimester. A record high cesarean delivery rate was reported in 2004, at 29.1 percent of all births, a 6-percent increase from 2003. The primary cesarean rate rose 8 percent, whereas the rate of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery declined 13 percent. Preterm and LBW rates each increased in 2004. More than 500,000 infants were born preterm, a rate of 12.5 percent. The LBW rate increased to 8.1 percent.

Births: final data for 2003

OBJECTIVES

This report presents 2003 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, and educational attainment; maternal characteristics (medical risk factors, weight gain, and tobacco and alcohol use); medical care utilization by pregnant women (prenatal care, obstetric procedures, complications of labor and/or delivery, attendant at birth, and method of delivery); and infant characteristics (period of gestation, birthweight, Apgar score, abnormal conditions, congenital anomalies, and multiple births). Also presented are birth and fertility rates by age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's State of residence are shown, as well as data on month and day of birth, sex ratio, and age of father. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 4.09 million births that occurred in 2003 are presented. Denominators for population-based rates are derived from the U.S. 2000 census.

RESULTS

In 2003 there were 4,089,950 live births reported in the United States, 2 percent more than the number in 2002. The crude birth rate (CBR) and general fertility rate (GFR) rose slightly. Childbearing among teenagers declined for the 12th straight year to another historic low. Birth rates for women aged 20-24 years also declined, whereas rates for women aged 25-44 years increased 2-6 percent, reaching highs not reported since the mid- to late 1960s. All measures of unmarried childbearing increased considerably in 2003, but smoking during pregnancy continued to decline. Timely initiation of prenatal care improved slightly. The cesarean delivery rate jumped another 5 percent to another all-time high, and the rate of vaginal birth after previous cesarean dropped 16 percent, an all-time low. Key measures of birth outcome-the percentages of preterm and low birthweight (LBW) births-rose. The twinning rate increased, but the rate of triplet and higher order multiple births was essentially stable.

[Factors influencing total fertility rate (TFR) in Africa]

AIM

The aim of the study was to estimate how the cultural and religious factors contribute to high total fertility rate in Africa and to denying the use of contraceptives.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A group of 100 women, mainly from rural areas, was interviewed in Southern Africa during the period of 1996-2002. Questions concerned motivation to high total fertility rate (average number of lifetime births per woman in particular country or population) and low rate of contraception use.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The main motivating factors to high TFR were cultural and religious beliefs, like the value of children as carriers of traditions, religion, genetics and also the emphasis on Old Testament in African Christianity. In 92 cases husbands played dominant role in deciding about the size of the family and denying the use of free contraceptives by women.

The age pattern of first-birth rates among U.S. women: the bimodal 1990s

Between 1990 and 2002, the age pattern of Type I first-birth rates (i.e., the hazard of a first birth) among U.S. women was bimodal. This pattern, driven by changing differential fertility patterns among racial and ethnic groups, reached its apex at the mid-1990s and had almost vanished by the decade's end. Research on first-birth timing has tended to focus on Type II first-birth rates and therefore has failed to identify this larger, bimodal pattern. This article presents the benefits of using Type I rates, documents the emergence of the bimodal pattern via two new measures of bimodality, and uses a decomposition analysis to discuss the pattern's causes.

Trend analysis of the sex ratio at birth in the United States

OBJECTIVES

This report presents total sex ratios at birth from 1940 to 2002, for race starting in 1970, for Hispanic origin groups starting in 1989, for live birth order starting in 1943, and for age of mother for the full time period.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations of sex ratios using the birth data set are presented and interpreted. Joinpoint regression analysis is used to detect changes in the sex ratio over time.

RESULTS

The United States sex ratio at birth had three significant transitions from 1940 to 2002 (1942, 1959, and 1971). White women were the only race group to have any significant changes in the sex ratio between 1970 and 2002 (1972, 1976, and 1988). Between 1940 and 2002 significant transitions in sex ratios occurred to women aged 20-24 (1942, 1966, 1974, and 1987); 25-29 (1961 and 1968); 35-39 (1965 and 1976); and 40-44 years (1967).

[Reproductive behavior of Imereti area population--specific features and trends]

Assessment of population's reproductive behavior on the regional level, identification of the factors affecting this kind of behavior represented the main goal of the study. The study was carried out in the Imereti area among women of reproductive age. Information on their marital status, the state of their health, their attitude towards child-bearing and their risky habits have been evaluated. The total of 1, 462 questionnaires have been analyzed. The poll showed that a number of negative tendencies occurred in the sphere of reproductive behavior with the backgrounds of the hardest social-economic conditions and depopulation. Among the reasons of the decrease of child-bearing the majority of respondents named hard financial restriction (49,3%) and poor health (18,6%). Besides, the majority named their risky habits. 72,7% named abortion as the main means of family planning, only 16,5% mentioned that they regularly take contraceptives. Thus, the results of the given study proves that alongside with the traditional activities it is necessary to create the demographic policy in some regions of Georgia taking into account their specific features.