What is natural fertility? The remodeling of a concept

This paper applies three log-linear models to Louis Henry's original 1961 natural fertility data in order to test various assumptions leading to ways of obtaining a standard natural fertility schedule through explicit modeling. "The models specify that births follow an independent Poisson distribution for each age interval of each population. All parameters are estimated through an iterative maximum-likelihood procedure." The author suggests that the model selected provides better estimates of the standard natural fertility function than previous models.     

Relating briefly the natural resources and the population problems of China]

Problems in population, manifested primarily as either "over" or "under" population, are ultimately related to the development of natural resources. Land is the most basic of natural resources. China's land mass is largely mountainous, with 56% of its more than 2000 counties, 1/3 of its population, 40% of its cultivated land and a majority of its forests, situated in mountainous regions. The quality and the distribution of the various kinds of land are complex and uneven. Although China is rich in forests, grazing, and arable land compared to the rest of the world, its 1 billion population makes the land a limited resource. The limitations of the land are also seen in soil erosion, soil that is increasingly turning into sand, and deforestation. Water resources are not considered scarce, yet compared to the rest of the world, it is limited. Its distribution is very uneven, with more water in the east and west, and less in the north and south. In the southwest mountainous border regions, for instance, water is abundant, but the population and arable land there is such that the demand for water is low. Moreover, droughts and heavy precipitation make the annual water supply unpredicatable. The demand for water becomes increasingly greater as agricultural production develops further, the population increases and as the cities continue to expand. living matter as a resource includes all the animal and plant life that is necessary for livelihood, but only forests and grasslands are discussed here. China's forests, if their use is not abused, can serve as a continuous supply for manufactured products. But its distribution is uneven and sparse. Population control will be ineffective if the forests are not replenished and developed. Grasslands are the primary source for animal products. The natural grasslands, found mainly in the north and west, are not as productive as that of other nations due to the nature of China's topography, the vagaries of climate, and deterioration. Energy, the source for fuel, includes such natural resources as coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydraulic, and solar power. China is among the world's richest in energy resources, yet the supply is sometimes insufficient when spread among 1 billion people.     

Do Demographic Characteristics Make a Difference to Burnout among Hong Kong Secondary School Teachers?

This study aims to investigate the relationship between teachers’ demographic variables and burnout in Hong Kong using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. It is found that when compared with the North American normative data, Hong Kong teachers scored in the average range of burnout in emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment while they scored in the low range of burnout in depersonalization. Gender differences were found in all three burnout syndromes, and teachers who were younger, unmarried, without religious beliefs, less experienced, without finishing professional training and of junior rank were more consistently burned out. Whereas age was the strongest predictor for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, teachers’ rank is the best predictor for personal accomplishment. However, the effect of demographic characteristics of teachers on burnout is not that salient.     

Constructing a Quality of Life Scale for Older Chinese People in Hong Kong (HKQoLOCP)

This paper reports a multi-stagestudy carried out between 1999 and 2001 whichaimed to develop an instrument to address theneed for a culturally relevant measure ofquality of life for Chinese older persons inHong Kong and similar communities. The firststage of the research involved a focus groupstudy conducted in August 1999 which it washoped would reflect how quality of life maybe interpreted by older persons themselves. Thenext stage, a content analysis of the focusgroups, enabled the construction of aquestionnaire containing over 100 items onvarious aspects of quality of life (QoL). Thequestionnaire was reviewed by a panel ofexperts and the items were refined and reducedto 86 to which were added a further 25 itemsfor socio-demographic background. This formedthe initial instrument. The final stage was avalidation study based on a representativecommunity survey, with a sample of 3,000respondents drawn for the research team by theCensus and Statistics Department of the HongKong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)Government. The survey yielded 1,616 successfulinterviews with older persons aged 60 or above.The careful stratification of the sampleenabled us to say that subjects in all thestages of the survey had broadly similarcharacteristics to the general Hong Kongelderly population in sex and age distribution.After a rigorous process of validation, theresearch team recommended the adoption of bothan index and six domains for measuring HongKong older persons QoL. The new scale containsa total of 21 items which can be grouped intovarious domains: subjective well-being, with 4items; health with 5 items; interpersonalrelationships with 6 items; achievement-recognition with 4 items, finance and livingconditions (1 item each). The overall QoL scalehas a Cronbachs alpha of 0.72 with its domainsranging from 0.65 to 0.77 which indicates ahigh degree of statistical reliabilities. Thename recommended for the scale was Hong KongQuality of Life for Older Persons Scale-abbreviated as HKQoLOCP.     

For controlling population growth more scientifically]

The February 4, 1982 edition of the People's Daily published a directive of the State Council of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party regarding going a step further in the work of birth control. The spirit of the directive is to adapt to new situations and to push forward the work of birth control. Since the late 1970s, the success of birth control has been seen in the decline of the rate of natural population growth. Birth control work is affected by the new circumstances that rose with the effort to raise economic standards. For instance, the system of fixed responsibility in production that is being implemented in the villages benefits population control. That is, a developing agarian economy can alleviate the problem of supporting the aged, dispel the anxieties of future care of the elderly, and build up a dependable material basis. The spirit of the directive is based on objective truths, as is the control of population growth and the implementation of birth control work. If birth control can succeed in the countryside where 800 million peasants reside, then there is hope for attaining the goals of population control; but, there are differences between urban and rural settings, and the methods for population control cannot be the same for both situations. Nor can it be the same for China's minorities, whose population control programs must be tailored to their particular needs. Meeting the population needs of varying situations with different solutions is more scientific and realistic. The task of controlling population growth is formidable, but the following favorable conditions will facilitate the work: 1) party and governmental support is great, and population planning is an integral part of economic and social planning; 2) birth control organizations exist at all levels; 3) there exists high social and political consciousness among disciplined masses; and 4) there is a body of accumulated experience from which to draw.     

The differential migration of population in China: the analysis on sample survey data on urban population migration in 74 towns]

The paper analyzed data from a migration survey in 74 Chinese cities and towns in 1986. Several characteristics of the migrant population were found from the data analysis. The biggest proportion of migrants was in 20-24 age group. This age group sent 26.1% of the migrants to metro-cities, 27.6% to large cities, 25.1% to median sized cities, 22.4% to small cities, and 22.2% to towns. Migrants in the 15-29 age groups accounted for 50% of the migrants to different-sized cities and towns. Female migration is 4.2-15.4% lower than male. The proportion migrating because of marriage ranged between 84/7-92.5% to different-sized cities for females, which is much higher than for males. The level of education in the migrant population is higher than in the general population, as educational qualifications are important for job opportunities. Those with middle school and above education, make up the bulk of the migrants, and 30-40% of the migrant population to big cities increased their educational level after migrating. The currently and never married comprise, the majority of the migrant population, while the number of widowed and divorced is minimal (2 and 0.4%, respectively). Most of the widowed were 60 years old and migrated for subsistence to cities where their children lived. Among the unmarried migrants, female make up 1/3. Whereas among the married, there are more females than males.     

An analysis of baby boom characteristics in China

This article analyzed the 3rd Chinese baby boom and its causes by focusing on the fertility intensity of women and the number of births per year. The 3rd baby boom is expected to end in 2002 and to peak in 1995. The baby boom in urban areas will last a much shorter time than in rural areas. Particular differences are manifested between provinces: 1) The baby boom will last 3-4 years in Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, and will last 10 years in Liaoning, Jilin, and Jiangsu. In other provinces, the boom will last 15-23 years; 2) The peak years are different between provinces; 3) The base number of births curves are province-specific; 4) The absolute base birth numbers are different between provinces (Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan 700,000; Beijing, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Ningzia 100,000); and 5) The shapes of progressive increases for base number of births are province specific. The increase in the number of childbearing-age women, the unplanned higher parity births, and early marriage and childbearing have all contributed to the current baby boom. Recommendations to control the problem include controlling higher parity births, observing birth spacing, and controlling the age of marriage and childbearing.     

The nature of labour pain: An updated review of the literature

Background

The pain experience associated with labour is complex. Literature indicates psychosocial and environmental determinants of labour pain, and yet methods to support women usually target physiological attributes via pharmacological interventions.

The abs population projections: Overview and evaluation

The paper provides a brief history of the ABS projection services in the context of its role as the central statistical agency in Australia. It also presents an overview of the methodology used for generating the projections and details the procedures used for compiling the various components of change incorporated in the projections. The accuracy of the ABS past projections is assessed by comparing their results, both at the national and state/territory levels, with corresponding estimated resident population figures. The paper also describes the range of projection services currently provided by the ABS, lists present unmet needs and indicates some of the developments likely to occur in the future in satisfying unmet demand, consolidation of existing services and dissemination of output.     

Parental Suicidal Ideation and Child Depressive Symptoms: The Roles of Optimism and Gratitude

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the influence of paternal and maternal suicidal ideation on child depressive symptoms and examine the moderating effects of children’s positive psychological traits: optimism and gratitude. A cross-sectional survey with 302 children and parents from five primary schools in Hong Kong were recruited. Results indicated that maternal suicidal ideation was significantly related to child depressive symptoms while paternal suicidal ideation was not. Moreover, the moderating effects of child optimism and gratitude were shown in the link between paternal suicidal ideation and children depressive symptoms. In contrast, the influencing power of maternal suicidal ideation of maternal suicidal ideation seems too strong to be attenuated by child optimism and gratitude. Findings of this study implicate the importance of prevention and intervention to suicidal parents and their offspring. Besides, positive psychology programs to enhance child optimism and gratitude might promote child resilience in the face of parental suicidal ideation. Future research is suggested to include other risk factors and protective factors that might be involved in the complex pathway from parental suicidal ideation to their children’s depression, and to collect data from multiple informants of a longitudinal representative sample.