A SURVEY OF PAPUA-NEW-GUINEAN PARTURIENTS AT THE PORT-MORESBY-GENERAL-HOSPITAL - FAMILY-PLANNING

A survey of 673 consecutive Papua New Guinean parturients at the Port Moresby General Hospital, in May and June 1990, showed that 28% had ev er used a family planning (FP) method, chiefly a hormonal method (93% of ever-users). Only seventeen of 239 (7.1%) nulliparae had ever used an FP method, compared with 170 of 434 (39.2%) parous subjects. Educat ion of mother and of husband were independently and significantly asso ciated with FP ever-use. Seventeen (4.9%) of 347 women who had a survi ving child, had not breast-fed the child. The interval between the bir th of the surviving child and the start of the index pregnancy was sig nificantly associated with the duration of breast-feeding; the longer the duration of breast-feeding, the longer the inter birth interval.