SEX RATIO AT BIRTH AND FAMILY COMPOSITION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: INTER-COUPLE VARIATIONS

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHEL GARENNE
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Family Composition ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
First Birth ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Linear Logistic Model

SummaryIn this study, sex ratios at birth (male/female births) were found to vary according to family composition. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) maternity histories from sub-Saharan Africa, the study shows that the sex ratio at birth increases with the number of previous male births and decreases with the number of previous female births. For families with only males, the sex ratio increases from 1·046 for the first birth to 1·083 for the 8th birth. For families with only females, the sex ratio decreases from 1·046 for the first birth to 0·942 for the 8th birth. The differences were highly significant when tested with a linear logistic model (p=0·018 for males; p=1·85✕10−11 for females). The effect was not symmetrical, and was found to be significantly stronger for females. These effects could be reproduced assuming a strong heterogeneity between couples. The distribution of sex ratios was fitted with an asymmetrical log-gamma function, which revealed a wide range of variation in the sex ratio between 0·50 and 1·30, and a peak around 1·14. The results and their implications are discussed in the light of former findings in France and in the United States of America.

scholarly journals Sex-selective Abortion Bans are Not Associated with Changes in Sex Ratios at Birth in Illinois and Pennsylvania

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sital Kalantry
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
State Legislatures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sex Selection ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Selective Abortion ◽  
Sex Selective Abortion ◽  
Newborn Children

Legal prohibitions on sex-selective abortions are proliferating in the United States. Eight state legislatures have banned abortions sought on the basis of the sex of the fetus, 21 states have considered such laws since 2009, and a similar bill is pending in U.S. Congress. These laws have been introduced and enacted without any empirical data about their impact or effectiveness. Prior studies of U.S. Census data found sex ratios among foreign-born Chinese, Korean and Indian immigrants were skewed in favor of boys, but only in families where there were already one or two girls. Using the variation in the timing of bans in Illinois and Pennsylvania as natural experiments, we compare the pre-ban and post-ban sex ratios of certain Asian newborn children in these states over 12-year periods. We then compare these ratios with the sex ratios of Asian newborn children in neighboring states during the same period. We find that the bans in Illinois and Pennsylvania are not associated with any changes in sex ratios at birth among Asians. In Illinois and its neighboring states, the sex ratio at birth of Asian children was not male-biased during our study period. On the other hand, the sex ratio at birth among Asians in Pennsylvania and its neighboring states was skewed slightly in favor of boys, but the enactment of the ban did not normalize the sex ratio. This strongly suggests that sex-selective abortion bans have had no impact on the practice of sex selection, to the extent that it occurs, in these states. This finding is highly relevant to legislative and policy debates in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures where sex-selective abortion laws are being considered.Published: Sex-selective Abortion Bans are Not Associated with Changes in Sex Ratios at Birth in Illinois and Pennsylvania (with Arindam Nandi and Brian Citro), Forum on Health and Economic Policy, December 2014 (peer-reviewed journal).

scholarly journals Sex-selective Abortion Bans are Not Associated with Changes in Sex Ratios at Birth among Asian Populations in Illinois and Pennsylvania

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-64
Author(s):  
Arindam Nandi ◽  
Sital Kalantry ◽  
Brian Citro
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
State Legislatures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sex Selection ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Selective Abortion ◽  
Sex Selective Abortion ◽  
Newborn Children

Abstract Legal prohibitions on sex-selective abortions are proliferating in the United States. Eight state legislatures have banned abortions sought on the basis of the sex of the fetus, 21 states have considered such laws since 2009, and a similar bill is pending in U.S. Congress. These laws have been introduced and enacted without any empirical data about their impact or effectiveness. Prior studies of U.S. Census data found sex ratios among foreign-born Chinese, Korean and Indian immigrants were skewed in favor of boys, but only in families where there were already one or two girls. Using the variation in the timing of bans in Illinois and Pennsylvania as natural experiments, we compare the pre-ban and post-ban sex ratios of certain Asian newborn children in these states over 12-year periods. We then compare these ratios with the sex ratios of Asian newborn children in neighboring states during the same period. We find that the bans in Illinois and Pennsylvania are not associated with any changes in sex ratios at birth among Asians. In Illinois and its neighboring states, the sex ratio at birth of Asian children was not male-biased during our study period. On the other hand, the sex ratio at birth among Asians in Pennsylvania and its neighboring states was skewed slightly in favor of boys, but the enactment of the ban did not normalize the sex ratio. This strongly suggests that sex-selective abortion bans have had no impact on the practice of sex selection, to the extent that it occurs, in these states. This finding is highly relevant to legislative and policy debates in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures where sex-selective abortion laws are being considered.

scholarly journals Projecting sex imbalances at birth at global, regional and national levels from 2021 to 2100: scenario-based Bayesian probabilistic projections of the sex ratio at birth and missing female births based on 3.26 billion birth records

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. e005516
Author(s):  
Fengqing Chao ◽  
Patrick Gerland ◽  
Alex Richard Cook ◽  
Christophe Z Guilmoto ◽  
Leontine Alkema
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Reference Scenario ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Uncertainty Interval ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Birth Records

IntroductionSkewed levels of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) due to sex-selective abortions have been observed in several countries since the 1970s. They will lead to long-term sex imbalances in more than one-third of the world’s population with yet unknown social and economic impacts on affected countries. Understanding the potential evolution of sex imbalances at birth is therefore essential for anticipating and planning for changing sex structures across the world.MethodsWe produced probabilistic SRB projections from 2021 to 2100 based on different scenarios of sex ratio transition and assessed their implications in terms of missing female births at global, regional and national levels. Based on a comprehensive SRB database with 3.26 billion birth records, we project the skewed SRB and missing female births with a Bayesian hierarchical time series mixture model. The SRB projections under reference scenario S1 assumed SRB transitions only for countries with strong statistical evidence of SRB inflation, and the more extreme scenario S2 assumed a sex ratio transition for countries at risk of SRB inflation but with no or limited evidence of ongoing inflation.ResultsUnder scenario S1, we projected 5.7 (95% uncertainty interval (1.2; 15.3)) million additional missing female births to occur by 2100. Countries affected will be those already affected in the past by imbalanced SRB, such as China and India. If all countries at risk of SRB inflation experience a sex ratio transition as in scenario S2, the projected missing female births increase to 22.1 (12.2; 39.8) million with a sizeable contribution of sub-Saharan Africa.ConclusionThe scenario-based projections provide important illustrations of the potential burden of future prenatal sex discrimination and the need to monitor SRBs in countries with son preference. Policy planning will be needed in the years to come to minimise future prenatal sex discrimination and its impact on social structures.

scholarly journals Addressing Pediatric HIV Pretreatment Drug Resistance and Virologic Failure in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Diagnostic-Based Strategies in Children ≥3 Years Old

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 567
Author(s):  
Mutita Siriruchatanon ◽  
Shan Liu ◽  
James G. Carlucci ◽  
Eva A. Enns ◽  
Horacio A. Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Virologic Failure ◽  
Pediatric Hiv ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
Switching Strategy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Living With Hiv

Improvement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen switching practices and implementation of pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) testing are two potential approaches to improve health outcomes for children living with HIV. We developed a microsimulation model of disease progression and treatment focused on children with perinatally acquired HIV in sub-Saharan Africa who initiate ART at 3 years of age. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic-based strategies (improved switching and PDR testing), over a 10-year time horizon, in settings without and with pediatric dolutegravir (DTG) availability as first-line ART. The improved switching strategy increases the probability of switching to second-line ART when virologic failure is diagnosed through viral load testing. The PDR testing strategy involves a one-time PDR test prior to ART initiation to guide choice of initial regimen. When DTG is not available, PDR testing is dominated by the improved switching strategy, which has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of USD 579/life-year gained (LY), relative to the status quo. If DTG is available, improved switching has a similar ICER (USD 591/LY) relative to the DTGstatus quo. Even when substantial financial investment is needed to achieve improved regimen switching practices, the improved switching strategy still has the potential to be cost-effective in a wide range of sub-Saharan African countries. Our analysis highlights the importance of strengthening existing laboratory monitoring systems to improve the health of children living with HIV.

Cassava Processing in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Implications for Expanding Cassava Production

1994 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Izu Nweke
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Intensive Use ◽  
Cassava Production ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Processing Techniques ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
Poor Soil

Cassava makes an important contribution to improving food security and rural incomes in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is tolerant of drought and poor soil and its cultivation does not require much labour. However, the fresh roots are bulky and perishable and need to be processed before they can be marketed; processing also removes the cyanogens which make many varieties poisonous in their raw form. Cassava roots are turned into granules, flours, pastes and chips, with a wide range of flavours and appearances for different areas and markets. Many different processing techniques are used, some of which make intensive use of fuelwood while others require a plentiful water supply. These requirements, as well as the need for a good transport and marketing infrastructure, limit the expansion of cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa, but technical solutions are being found.

Changing sex differences in undernutrition of African children: findings from Demographic and Health Surveys

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Michel Garenne ◽  
Susan Thurstans ◽  
André Briend ◽  
Carmel Dolan ◽  
Tanya Khara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Growth Charts ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Male To Female ◽  
Height For Age ◽  
Weight For Age

Abstract The study investigates sex differences in the prevalence of undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Undernutrition was defined by Z-scores using the CDC-2000 growth charts. Some 128 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) were analysed, totalling 700,114 children under-five. The results revealed a higher susceptibility of boys to undernutrition. Male-to-female ratios of prevalence averaged 1.18 for stunting (height-for-age Z-score <−2.0); 1.01 for wasting (weight-for-height Z-score <−2.0); 1.05 for underweight (weight-for-age Z-score <−2.0); and 1.29 for concurrent wasting and stunting (weight-for-height and height-for-age Z-scores <−2.0). Sex ratios of prevalence varied with age for stunting and concurrent wasting and stunting, with higher values for children age 0–23 months and lower values for children age 24–59 months. Sex ratios of prevalence tended to increase with declining level of mortality for stunting, underweight and concurrent wasting and stunting, but remained stable for wasting. Comparisons were made with other anthropometric reference sets (NCHS-1977 and WHO-2006), and the results were found to differ somewhat from those obtained with CDC-2000. Possible rationales for these patterns are discussed.

Comparing breast cancer characteristics across Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. S155 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Grover ◽  
M. Narasimhamurthy ◽  
R. Bhatia ◽  
C. Benn ◽  
K. Fearnhead ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Comparative Area Studies and the Study of the Global South

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-287
Author(s):  
Rudra Sil ◽  
Ariel I. Ahram
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Science Inquiry ◽  
Global South ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Area Studies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Range Theory ◽  
Sub Saharan

Comparative Area Studies (CAS) offers a template to bring the Global South back into the foreground of social science inquiry. CAS urges researchers to grapple directly with empirical variations derived from across the seemingly different global regions. CAS offers three comparative modes: intra-regional, cross-regional, and trans-regional. A number of scholars have used CAS’s comparative rubrics, even without knowing about the wider CAS agenda and program. CAS unsettles assumptions about discrete, fixed “regional” or civilizational blocks as well as about nomothetic theory-building aimed at universal or general laws. At the same time, CAS engages in the idea of medium-range theory-building, focusing empirical rigor and induction in order to create concepts and analyses that are portable yet contextualized. These macro-historical theories must be attentive to spatial and temporal variation in the social world. Claims of universalism are suspect. For the study of the Global South, in particular, CAS provides a path for aggregating and leveraging the wide range of observations and interpretations area specialists have to offer on regions as diverse as South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. CAS thus changes the division of labor within social science to allow greater input for scholarship derived from and originating in the developing world.

Letter To The Editor

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 796-796
Author(s):  
Samuel L. Katz
Keyword(s):  
Oral Polio Vaccine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Intestinal Immunity ◽  
Polio Vaccine ◽  
Polio Immunization ◽  
Individual Protection ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Community Protection ◽  
Central Nervous System Invasion

Drs Terry and Schneider raise legitimate questions regarding changes in polio immunization recommendations. In response to the former, although two doses of inactivated polio vaccine provide humoral immunity that will protect an individual against central nervous system invasion by wild or revertant attenuated polioviruses, they do not provide intestinal immunity, a valued asset of oral polio vaccine (OPV). Because we live in a global community where jet transportation enables one to move from a polio-endemic area to a polio-free area in less than one day, the introduction of wild polio viruses from sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia poses a legitimate threat and concern to those who wish to maintain community protection, in addition to individual protection, against possible reintroduction of wild virus to the United States.

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