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yAec.^w-f? jiit-vW*WNHHtWVol CHI No. 189ESTABLISHED 1834KINGSTON, JAMAICA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 9,1986fenPlinckONE DOLLARTWENTY-FOUR PAGESLonger life, fewer births and greater use of the ‘Pill’JAMAICANS are enjoying a langer lifespan than they used do 65 years ago, according to '-*p Jive-year report from the Na--tktnal Family Planning Board. Mothers are also having fewer children as the crude birth rate ..wClines.. . - The report covers the years to 1981 and was tabled in vtfce House of Representatives on .Tneidiy.The crude death rate in 1970 * wa* 7.7 per 1,000, maintaining a .“.consistent decline which first \4tCTted in 1921. The report said «that the latest available rate, 6.1 - for 1981, placed Jamaica on par Z 1nth some developed countries ; mod “certainly much better than -several of her developing counterparts. .The difference between births and deaths in 1970 was 50,000 but fell to 45,500 in 1981 when the annual rate of growth was 1.4 per cent,and has been the largest rate since 1976.Marked improvements in the average length, of life which in 1970 registered 66.7 years for males, a 31-year gain over its level in 1921, was noted by the report. Gains for . females were more marked with ftn incremen-tof 32 years bringing the average length of life for females in 1970 to 70.2 ye,ars.Progrefs cited in the area of infant mortality, which stood at 20.4 per cent in 1976, represents a downward trend from its levelof more than 150 per 1,000 live births in the 1920s.In the area of fertility, the report said that crude birth rate at 1970 stood at 35 per 1,000 which represents a declining ■trend obvious in the mid-1960s. The island’s papulation in 1970 was 1.8 million. But the report said the. population 'passed the two million mark in 1974, despite a continued decline in the crude birth rate wjiicft registered 30;1 in 1975.Lastest available figures showed the crude birth rate in 1981 at 26.8 per .1,000 population.The report also states that a total of $2.9 million was spent on .family planning, servicesover the fijve-year period under review.Of this amount $1.2 million ,was spent directly on providing oral contraceptives and ton-domS.The money, provided mainly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), covered areas such as personnel services and training. The repair said that the “pill” continued to be the most used method, followed by the injection and the condom.A study among male users from the Corporate Area and a rural parish revealed a 49 per cent use cf the condom. Over the period there were 133,053 new acceptors of contraceptives,an increase of 21,103 over the previous period 1972 to 1977.The percentage of new acceptors in the Corporate Area fell to' 42.35 per cent from 47 per cent over the previous five years. This number increased in SC Catherine which the report said was a reflection of internal migration to the vast housing estates of that parish.Another explanation for the Corporate Area decline was social unrest over the period in West Kingston and other depressed .areas which prevented clients from reaching clinics.In terms of sales of contraceptives, 175,572 cycles of contraceptives under the “Perle” brand were sold in 1978 asagainst 259,848in 1980. A total of 801,648 pieces of “Panther” brand condoms were sold in 1978 as against 948,816 pieces in 1980.Sales from the “pill” moved from $24,980 in 1978 to $36,333 in 1980 and in the case of condoms sales moved from $23,166 in 1978 to $26,209 in 1980.‘ Indications were that the pills and condoms ilistributed through the commercial programme continued to reach people other than those who noc-mallyuse the services, the report said, adding that the commercial enterprise served to widen the family planning outreach.
Newspaper Details
Kingston Gleaner
Kingston, Kingston, JM
Sat, Aug 09, 1986
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Sheree R.
USA 01 May 2025
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