Family Planning and Fertility in Southern Appalachia

A Community Study

Bibliographic Data

ID2499375
AuthorsDonald Hochstrasser, Donald L Hochstrasser, Gerry Gairola, Gerry A Gairola
Year1991
Volume50
Issue4
Pages393-405
Publication date1991-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Organization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-7259 • E-ISSN: 1938-3517
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.17730/humo.50.4.71j42q565l868973
OpenAlexW2073372983
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

Researchers gathered ethnographic and survey data from 1980-1983 in a largely geographically isolated rural county in eastern Kentucky to determine current patterns of reproductive behavior and contraceptive use in a historically high fertility rural population in the United States. They spoke with 407 women of childbearing age while their husbands were present and conducted in depth interviews with 105 of them. This integrated community study of fertility and family planning showed that even though the community was still economically poor and relatively isolates it has undergone a rapid decline in general fertility (235 to 73 between 1960-1980). This fall infertility occurred despite an increase in the number of women of reproductive age. During this same period health care and modern family planning services improved and expanded and the community experienced modest social development and cultural integration into the larger society. 2 results of this integration have been that the people have adopted a small family norm and high contraceptive usage. In fact the predominant contraceptive method was female sterilization (38.3%) followed by oral contraceptives (25.2%) IUD (13.2%) and vasectomy (10.4%). Most couples practiced family planning to achieve desired family size (mean 2.7; mode 2). Desired family size differed by year of marriage group. For example the average desired family size for women married between 1977-1981 was 2.1 whereas that for those <1962 was 3.9. Moreover fertility regulation among the sample basically matched that of other US families. Further most community leaders and married women approved of birth control. In conclusion this study demonstrated that rapid declines in fertility are possible in relatively less developed areas with traditionally high fertility if modern contraceptive delivery systems are available and accessible

Appalachia · Appalachian Region · Biology · Economic growth · Economics · Family planning · Fertility · Geography · Political science · Population · Research methodology · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Male Reproductive Health Studies · Reproductive Health and Technologies