HEALTH SITUATION OF MOTHERS AND SUCKLINGS IN RURAL FAMILIES OF HOKKAIDO
10.2185/jjrm.8.62
- VernacularTitle:北海道農村家庭の母性と乳幼見の保健実態
- Author:
S. TASAKA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
1959;8(1):62-74
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
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Abstract:
In the rural district of Hokkaido, which holds 70% of the whole area of Hokkaido, those villages where the death-rate of sucklings is of the order of 40's (per 1, 000 births) come up to more than one third of all the villages, whereas in the cities it ranges between 20 and 39 A variety of factors may be accountable. With a view to contributing something to the clarification of the causation, I should like to introduce the existing conditions of a typical rural village located in the east of Hokkaido.
1. In comparison with cities, there are more premature babies born in the village, and furthermore about one half of the babies there are below the standard in weight and height.
2. Beginning and completion of the process of ablactation are delayed;diet is of ten low in protein and fat. There are many cases of rachitis ascribed to malnutrition; and a considerable number of babies suffer from anemia or eczema
3. Luxatio coxae congenita is found in 17% of the babies and it is often accompanied with rachitis;and there are many artificially fed babies.
4. On the other hand, the sleeping hours of nursing mothers are insufficient. There Were many hypertensive cases among them, and 37% of them showed decrease in serum protein.
5. Toxicosis is observed in 62% of pregnant women.
6. Cases of artificial abortion are numbered lately 1.3-1.5 times as many as the number of births.
7.38% of families are still using “izuko (a small cradle made of straw traditionally used in the northern parts of Japan, which is found to be detrimental to the baby's growth)”.
The factors enumerated above would all in all be accountable for the aggravating conditions of sucklings: the poor health conditions of pregnant mothers play such injurious effects on their potential babies that they give birth to premature babies, and the dissatisfactory environment following the birth contributes to the appearance of undernourished sucklings-a vicious cycle which terminates in deaths. In order to rectify the present situation the following plans would be effective. First of all, births should be controlled so as to take place at intervals of 3 or 4 years, preferrably from spring to summer; women in pregnancy and in nursing period should take diet especially rich in protein and vitamins; sucklings should be placed under careful health control including timely ablactation and prevention against rachitis; besides, the authorities concerned and the health centers are required to collaborate more positively in the health campaign.If all such efforts are made, mothers and sucklings in rural areas may no doubt attain the health standards held in the cities.
