With data from the Papago population register and death certificates from the Arizona State Department of Health, vital rates and causes of death were examined for the decade 1950-59. Data were then divided to permit an assessment of the impact of residence in modern and traditional Papago communities on vital rates.
Birth and death rates computed for the Papago population were in general agreement with similar data on Arizona Indian and U. S. Indian populations. Because of incompleteness of cause of death coding, mortality analysis was inconclusive.
The vital rates for modern versus traditional communities disclosed differences which were the opposite of those predicted. Both birth and death rates were higher in modern than in traditional villages. This reversal may be explained by the inadequacy of the reporting system for vital events during the decade.
Children’s Death Survey Using Death Certificates in the Chiba Prefecture
