The reproductive history of 182 women in postreproductive life or near menopause from the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego was traced back by means of familial interviews. These postmenopausal women represent the population since almost the beginning of the settlement, and their reproductive years were spent on the island. Path analysis was applied to analyze fertility determinants of these women and to propose a complex model of interconnections among factors. The reproductive history of these women is characterized by a long fertile span, a short childbearing period, and low fertility. Age at menarche is relatively late, and the age of the women at first birth is mainly determined by their late age at marriage. The use of contraception is related to both spacing and stopping behaviors. The late age of women at marriage, the rhythm of conception, and practices of contraception are proposed as the main determinants of fertility in Tierra del Fuego.
Seasonality of births has been related to multiple factors, including environmental, biological and sociocultural ones, in populations of diverse geographic and cultural origin. However, the relationship between this variable of bioanthropologic interest and geographic altitude has not been adequately explored. The aim of this study was to analyse the monthly distribution pattern of birth rates in Jujeño (north-west Argentina) populations located at different geographic altitude levels. Data were provided by the Statistical Reports on Liveborns (n=110,404) in the province of Jujuy, 1985-1992. Records were grouped by birthplace into the four geographic regions of the province: Ramal (350 m.a.s.l.), Valle (1200 m.a.s.l.), Quebrada (2500 m.a.s.l.) and Puna (3500 m.a.s.l.). Henry's coefficients of seasonality were estimated. A chi-square test for goodness of fit ( 2 ) was used to identify statistically significant seasonal variations. Edwards' test was used to detect simple harmonic cycles in birth distribution. Statistically significant seasonal patterns were found in the four geographic regions and they respond to a cyclic model of simple harmonic variation. The greatest Henry coefficients were observed in spring and summer in the higher regions (Puna and Quebrada), whereas they were seen in autumn and winter in the lowlands (Valle and Ramal). It is suggested that these patterns reflect the influence of environmental and socioeconomic altitude-related factors and inter-regional cultural diversity, rather than the influence of geographical altitude per se.
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