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The three ethnic groups residing in Israel differ in the prevalence of smoking; each has a distinct pattern of smoking, positioning them at different stages within the conceptual framework of the larger smoking pandemic. Ethnicity, religiosity, age and education are associated with smoking in both sexes. This calls for specific tailored interventions aimed at younger men with less education, Arab men, and young immigrants.

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A study was made of health service utilization patterns during pregnancy of 279 young mothers, a representative sample of the Jewish population in Jerusalem. Only 47% reported that they used the municipal family health centers (FHCs) for prenatal care. Some 82% reported that they had resorted to more than one source of care during pregnancy. Sources other than the FHC were: regular Sick Fund doctor service (33%); private practitioners (25%); hospital-based services (25%). Among the FHC users, there was an unexpectedly high percentage of women of Asian-African origin and of those living in remote neighborhoods. Under-utilization was frequent among wealthy women, those with higher education and members of the Orthodox religious sector. While there was general satisfaction with the service, lower gratification was associated with higher utilization. This phenomenon may intimate that there may be a process of negative selection among women who use the service, when other alternatives are not readily available.

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This paper describes the results of an infant stimulation program that involved mothers and their infants registered at Mother and Child Health Care centers in Jerusalem. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the developmental needs of their infants. A developmental assessment was used to evaluate the infants' reaching and grasping abilities at 4 months of age. The questionnaire was completed by 175 mothers in the program (the experimental group) and a control group of 124 mothers. The results showed that, despite demographic differences that were likely to positively affect the control group's scores, the experimental group's scores were significantly higher. The results of the developmental assessment administered to 107 infants in the experimental group and 74 infants in the control group also indicated that, on 4 out of 5 reaching and grasping items, the experimental group performed significantly better. This study emphasizes the value of structuring a developmental curriculum for newborn infants and their mothers within an occupational therapy program.