Changing Demographic Patterns Research Articles

Climate variability, political crises, and historical population displacements in Ethiopia

El Niño events from the 1970s through the 1990s caused extended droughts in Ethiopia. These droughts were followed by famine and political turmoil that resulted in radical changes of government, secession, and a massive program of population redistribution. Cartographic analysis of Ethiopian census data from 1984 and 1994 shows changes in demographic patterns. The consequences of government-imposed migration policies, whose catalyst was the climate variability caused by repeated El Niño events, were changes in the ethnic composition of certain Ethiopian regions and changes in the geographic pattern of population growth.

Narratives of Community and Change in a Contemporary Rural Setting: The Case of Duaringa, Queensland

Contemporary rural communities are being affected by a range of changes and processes in Australia, including major changes in demographic patterns; the organisation and performance of primary industries; levels of government support for economic and social infrastructure; and wider developments in technology and changing socio‐cultural values. The impact of these processes has been felt unequally and small communities which have had a traditionally close relationship with agricultural industries are particularly challenged. The current paper reports on one such community and provides the opportunity to analyse both the the substance and cultural understandings of such forms of rural change/uncoupling. The paper presents local narratives of community and change in Duaringa, Central Queensland and responds to recent international literature suggesting that the meanings and politics of rural change are as significant as the economic trends that are occurring. The Duaringa narratives demonstrate both the substance and dynamics of expressions of community (and loss). And the paper concludes that these meanings are also influenced by wider processes including consumption‐oriented lifestyles and national interests in South East Asian relations.

Diversity issue acquires official status in AGU's committee structure

Diversity is at the forefront of critical issues related to the present and future populations of Earth and space scientists in the United States. The changing demographic patterns of the United States in the 21st century are such that the profession must be proactive in recruiting and retaining persons from ethnic, racial, and other groups under-represented in these fields if we are to meet the demands for Earth and space scientists in academia, research, government, and industry. To meet this challenge, AGU has created a Subcommittee on Diversity as a part of its Committee on Education and Human Resources.

Economic reform and household welfare in rural China: evidence from household survey data

Existing studies highlight the uncertainty about changes in living standards in China's transition to market economy. Using household data from Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces, we examine the significance of demographic characteristics on rural household welfare which has generally been overlooked in the existing literature. Three sets of results are reported here: (i) estimates of total land allocated per household suggests that household marginal share of land is higher for a resident adult compared to a child or an old and lower for non-resident members or members engaged in non-farm activities. (ii) Regular adjustment of land to changing demographic composition generates a lack of security of tenure in land as well as an impetus for the growth of rural non-farm activities as reflected in the estimates of household per capita income and expenditure: an additional resident or non-resident adult, engaged in non-farm activities enhances rural household welfare while an additional child or old member lowers it, which also reflects the deterioration in the provision of social services. (iii) Probit analysis of poverty status based on poverty-level income suggests that the poor are likely to be those households with more children or old members and also those primarily depending on farm activities. In a situation of changing demographic patterns and a changing balance between rural farm and non-farm employment prospects, there is a need to identify the poor and the vulnerable adequately so that the latter do not have to bear the brunt of the reform. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

Early childhood education, children's peer cultures, and the future of childhood

SUMMARY This paper presents my theoretical perspective of interpretive reproduction which focuses on the importance of children's production of and participation in their own peer cultures for their evolving membership in society. I describe the main themes of communal sharing and control in children's peer culture and present examples of peer routines and activities which demonstrate these themes. I discuss the importance of children's peer culture for early childhood education policy, programs, and curricula. Finally, I discuss the importance of social and economic investments in young children and families in modern societies, most especially in child care and early education. Here I stress how changing demographic patterns in modern societies (most especially the increase of the proportion of elderly as compared to the very young) have crucial implications for the future of children and childhood.

Socioeconomic Aspects of Peritoneal Dialysis in North America: Role of Non Medical Factors in the Choice of Dialysis

Patients initiating dialysis therapy must make a choice between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Controversy persists over the relative merits of each modality in the treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Issues relating to survival, morbidity, economics, and patient characteristics will all determine the final choice of therapy. Non medical factors are the most important determinant of dialysis modality selection. In the United States, HD has been the more commonly used modality, while PD is underrepresented. This disparity arises from multiple factors including reactions (sometimes incorrect) to the healthcare financing structure, physician biases, and changing demographic patterns in the ESRD population. We discuss these issues and present collected evidence showing that increased use of PD may have substantial overall benefit.

Working with older people: opportunities for community nursing

This article briefly considers the role of community nurses working with older people and their carers, outlining the changing demographic trends and patterns of illness. It suggests the need for a more proactive approach which builds upon opportunities for health promotion in addition to support for family carers. The development of interventions which are of relevance to very frail older people are also discussed. The forthcoming year will see a number of major policy developments and therefore community nurses should seize the initiative and explore new possibilities while developing existing roles.

Keeping customers loyal at Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society

Describes Liverpool Victoria’s recent attempts to improve customer loyalty. Outlines the company’s history and its traditional values and client base and shows how, in spite of very low brand awareness, the organization has retained many of its customers. With changing demographic patterns it has been necessary to update the company’s strategy and, in 1993, a marketing department was formed. It became clear that although the relationship between agents and clients was strong, that between agents and head office was non‐existent. Outlines ways in which a brand image has been developed.

Patterns of Demographic Change in the Alta California Missions: The Case of Santa Ines

Patterns of Demographic Change in the Alta California Missions: The Case of Santa Ines

Patterns of variation in female-biased colony sex ratios in a social spider

Colonies of a social spider Achaearanea wau (Theridiidae) from Papua, New Guinea have adult and juvenile sex ratios that are biased towards females, and this probably represents a primary bias at the egg stage. Adult sex ratios are less female-biased than are juvenile sex ratios, and both vary significantly among colonies. Adult sex ratios covary with colony size: small colonies have a larger proportion of males than large ones. The pattern of variation in adult sex ratio may be due to greater mortality of females than of males during maturation. Juvenile sex ratios do not covary with colony size, nor do they differ among populations. Colony size, however, does have a significant effect on survival and dispersal in colonies. I conclude, therefore, that a conditional sex ratio strategy, in which the primary sex ratio of the colony is adjusted to changing demographic patterns, does not occur in A. wau. I suggest that environmental heterogeneity acting on individual reproductive output may be responsible for the observed variation among colonies in juvenile sex ratios.

The bush foundation's faculty development projects

AbstractGuidelines for creating faculty development programs need to be devised in order to encourage teamwork in curricular design, to assist in faculty evaluations, and to prepare faculty for changing demographic patterns.

Causes of the increase in the incidence of ectopic pregnancy: A study on 1017 patients from 1966 to 1985 in Turku, Finland

The relationship between the increased incidence of ectopic pregnancy and the known risk factors of this disorder was examined by 5-year age groups and equivalent calendar periods to determine the causes of the recent "epidemic" of ectopic pregnancy. None of the known risk factors would alone explain the observed increase. Consequently, multivariate analysis by log-linear models was applied: age, past pelvic operation, previous pelvic inflammatory disease, antecedent legal abortion, and current use of an intrauterine contraceptive device were responsible for the increase in the occurrence of the disease. The strongest association with the observed temporal trend in the increase of ectopic pregnancy was found for pelvic operation (including previous ectopic pregnancy), pelvic inflammatory disease, and current use of an intrauterine contraceptive device. Improved diagnosis and changing demographic patterns also contributed to the increase in the annual number of ectopic pregnancies.

Cancer mortality statistics: availability and quality aspects of mortality data worldwide.

Ever since demography became a social science and interest in public health developed, the analysis of mortality data has been the cornerstone for evaluating the state of health in a country and a foundation for remedial action. Mortality data are used: 1. At government level a) To contribute to societal monitoring as a basis for the delimitation of social policy objectives and priorities b) To assess and monitor the state of public health as a basis for the setting of priorities and the allocation and distribution of funds to and within the health sector c) To identify target groups for remedial action and intervention programmes d) To assess the effectiveness and impact of social policy measures, including health intervention programmes e) To provide, by computing life and related attrition tables, essential background information for decision making on specific social and economic aspects such as duration of working life and age at retirement, financing of health (life) insurance and the pension system(s), and family welfare measures 2. At research level a) To study patterns of demographic changes b) To study trends and differences in mortality between as well as within countries c) To test hypotheses in epidemiological studies d) As endpoints in cohort studies and as a source for record-linkage studies such as those on survival experience e) To help in estimating the social and economic costs of ill-health and in cost-effectiveness analyses of different intervention strategies f) As a basis for making predictions about future trends in the population and for health and actuarial projections g) As an integral component in the development of national (subnational) profiles of disease patterns and social inequities 3. Other a) To determine annuities and annual premiums for life and health insurance b) In settlement of compensation claims for loss of life in the courts Information of cancer mortality has been widely used in designing and evaluating cancer-prevention strategies and for formulating and testing hypotheses in epidemiological research. However, without doubt, there still remain unexploited possibilities for the more extensive use of mortality data in research and administration.KeywordsWorld Health OrganizationCancer MortalityUnited NationsDeath CertificateMortality DataThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

The relationship of work satisfaction and organizational commitment to retirement intention

The relationship between attitudes, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment has been shown to influence turnover/retirement. This relationship is important because of changing demographic patterns in the U.S. that are contributing to present and future foodservice labor shortages. The labor shortage has potential for retarding the long-term growth of the foodservice industry. However, recruitment and retention of older workers could be a factor in controlling the problem. Therefore, the major purpose of this research was to obtain information from current older foodservice employees to permit the determination of how various aspects of their jobs affect job satisfaction and organizational commitment and, thus, intention to remain on the job by delaying retirement. Non-management-level hospital and college/university foodservice workers aged 55 years and older (no. = 243) were surveyed. Hospital employees were selected from corporate rosters provided by a major contract foodservice company. College and university employees were selected from the roster of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). No statistically meaningful relationship (r≥.30) between work satisfaction (measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire) and organizational commitment (measured by the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire), as correlated with retirement intention, was found. Although not considered meaningful, a slight statistical relationship was found (r=.15, p<.02) between intrinsic satisfaction and the desire to delay retirement (work intention). J Am Diet Assoc 88:921, 1988.

Socioeconomic and demographic effects of malaria eradication: A comparison of Sri Lanka and Sardinia

The relationship between disease control, population growth and economic development is examined through a comparison of changes subsequent to malaria eradication campaigns in Sri Lanka and Sardinia. Both islands were similar in terms of malaria morbidity and mortality rates as well as a history of massive malaria eradication campaigns using DDT immediately after the Second World War. The critical comparative distinction is that Sardinia had a much lower population density than Sri Lanka. In both cases, the anticipated effects of malaria control were increased agriculture production in endemic zones coupled with a relief of population pressure in non-malaria areas. This has not happened. Patterns of demographic change, marked by sharp declines in general mortality and accelerated population rates, are similar in both cases. Malaria control has resulted in economic development in neither case, however, and this is explained using ecological and political-economic analyses.

The Gender Gap in Norwegian Voting Behaviour*

In the period 1957‐81 women in Norway voted less frequently for the socialist parties than did men. In most recent years this pattern has changed so that women are now more likely than men to support the socialist bloc. This shift has been especially strong among the younger and the more educated women. In the younger age group the polarization by gender is also very striking; women have moved to the left and men to the right. While changing demographic patterns partially explain the gender gap in voting behaviour, differences in values must also be taken into account. The most consistent finding is that stronger religious feelings among women make them more likely to vote for the Christian People's party. Values that suggest a greater emphasis on human interactions, less emphasis on material goods, and a concern with peace, increase female support for the socialist parties.

Research Directions and Implications

A variety of factors will converge during the latter part of the 1980s which lend urgency to the need to continue to implement a series of research agendas within the broad domain of bilingualism. Among these, changes in demographic patterns with the resultant movement of peoples across national, political, or linguistic boundaries; pressures toward universal primary (and secondary) education—particularly in ethnolinguistically heterogeneous developing countries, and pressures for improved foreign language education in industrialized countries—particularly in the United States—will lead us to want to examine thoroughly the array of factors associated with second language teaching or learning and with the personal and social correlates and consequences of bilinguality or language attrition.

Introduction: Demography, Population Growth, and Population Policy in China: A Brief History from 1949 to the Present

Research on the Chinese population is at once intriguing and challenging as well as difficult and frustrating. For some three decades after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese Studies has had to live with the paradoxical situation in which the abundance of population on the Mainland, ever increasing in number predictably and inexorably, was coupled with a scarcity of data about the nature and patterns of demographic change, ever harder to come by. Concurrent with this situation of scarcity (the chronic problem of "minimal data" as China experts called it) amidst abundance, we find that inside China demography, for all intents and purposes, did not exist and that outside of China it was often reduced to intelligence gathering, an operation in which seasoned China experts chronicled policy statements and attempted to puzzle together reasonable population estimates or our best "guesstimates" based on scattered fragments gleaned from official Chinese announcements, rumors, and inferences. Not unexpectedly, therefore, over the years such a poor ecology for population research could support, for example, barely a handful of American experts on Chinese population.

Famines, Epidemics, and Population Growth: The Case of India

The factors which determined Indias rate of population increase from 1872 until the present are examined and 3 periods with very different rates of population growth are distinguished. The annual rate of growth during the 1st period from 1872 until 1921 was only .37%; during the 2nd period from 1921 through 1951 it accounted for 1%; and since 1951 it has exceeded 2% a year. The traditional explanation for the sharp rise in population growth rates between the 1st and 2nd periods (improvements in public health sanitation nutrition and general growth of the economy) is rejected. These factors only became significant after 1951. During the 2nd period (1921-1951) the chief cause for the sharp rise in population rates was the decline in mortality rates due to the absence of major famines and epidemics. In the 1st period (1872-1921) famines plague and influenza caused large increases in mortality; but in the decade 1921 to 1931 when all of them were absent the rate of population growth was comparable to that experienced between 1921-1951. During this period only a small % of the population was affected by the increases in urbanization sanitation and nutrition. The changes which affected the majority of the population were those which reduced the risk of famine and epidemics: improvements in the transport network which assured the availability of food; diversification of the economy which changed the economic opportunities available to families in drought-prone regions; and government relief efforts which provided money to buy food. In addition after 1921 the decline in the number of epidemics introduced into India contributed to a reduction in mortality rates. There is no evidence to suggest that there were any fundamental changes in demographic patterns from 1921-1951.

The evolution of human disease: new findings and problems.

SummaryThe pattern of human disease is not immutable. Some diseases change their expression; new diseases arise, and some die out. Man's diseases have influenced his history and evolution and, conversely, his biological and cultural evolution have affected his pathology, most powerfully through his alteration of the environment and his changing demographic patterns. This paper briefly reviews the history of those diseases which are, or have been, the leading causes of human morbidity and mortality and draws attention to a curious contrast between the Old and New Worlds.