PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A M Basu

Publications and source records attributed to A M Basu.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Women's economic roles and child survival: the case of India.

This article provides evidence that women's employment, in spite of its other benefits, probably has one crucial adverse consequence: a higher level of child mortality than is found among women who do not work. We examine various intermediate mechanisms for this relationship and conclude that a shortage of time is one of the major reasons for this negative relation between maternal employment and child survival. However, even in the area of child survival, there is one aspect which is positively affected by female employment: the disadvantage to girls in survival which is characteristic of South Asia seems to be smaller among working mothers. This is in contrast to the effect of maternal education which may often have no clear relation to the sex ratio of childhood mortality even though absolute levels of child mortality are lower for educated mothers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How pervasive are sex differentials in childhood nutritional levels in south Asia?

This paper considers the assumption that there are widespread sex differentials in the household allocation of food in South Asia. From primary field data and a critical review of the existing literature, it concludes that we have no reason to believe that girls in this region invariably get an unfair deal in the matter of nutrition, even in those areas where sex differentials in child mortality are the most acute. Too much of the research to support such a contention starts with the biased view that gender differences in nutritional status must exist. It is pointed out in this paper that a new look at this issue is essential if we are to use scarce resources most effectively to fight gender inequalities. By identifying more precisely the areas in which women are worst discriminated against, action to affect these areas can be focused much better than by spreading efforts into programs where the need is at best marginal.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cultural influences on health care use: two regional groups in India.

While health care services are increasingly being seen as a major proximate determinant of decreased mortality in a population, it also seems to be the case that the mere provision of services does not lead to their better utilization. However, in general, it is difficult to explore differences in utilization because the availability of services itself varies so greatly. This report presents the results of a study in India of two distinct regional groups of similar socioeconomic status, residing in the same locality and, therefore, theoretically exposed to the same health services. Both groups share a strong faith in modern medicine (especially if it is obtained from a private practitioner) for the treatment of most common illnesses. However, important cultural differentials exist in the medical services sought for childbirth and in the treatment of morbidity in children of different ages and sexes. These cultural commonalities and differentials are described, their possible causes--primary among these being the status of women--explored, and some policy recommendations made.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The domestic servant as family planning innovator: an Indian case study.

This paper reports on the relatively low fertility of female domestic servants in India. domestic servant have fewer numbers of ever-born and living children than women working in other occupations and women who are unemployed. This low fertility, which appears to be volitional, may have its roots in the incompatibility between the servant's reproductive and the productive roles, as well as in the changing values generated by continued exposure to a wealthier lifestyle. It is suggested that family planning messages aimed at and elicited by more "elite" classes may have a greater impact on fertility behavior than message from prompters with a socioeconomic background similar to the clients', which tend to concentrate on the harsher day-to-day realities of poverty.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ignorance of family planning methods in India: an important constraint on use.

Interviews wih women in six villages in India and with educated, working women selected to be trained as interviewers in five states, and evidence from formal studies are discussed to support the conclusions that (1) the low overall rates of contraceptive use in India are at least partly due to low levels of knowledge about different methods of birth control, especially of the modern reversible methods; and (2) the low use of all methods except sterilization is a good proxy for lack of knowledge about these methods. It is suggested that, both in the interests of achieving demographic targets and in the interests of the clientele of the family planning program, much greater emphasis must be placed on spreading practical information about reversible contraception. The information dissemination activities of the program so far have tended to concentrate on the why of family planning and neglect the how, except in promoting sterilization.

Contraception↗