title: [Demographic trends: birth spacing].
abstract: Two studies to measure children spacing in western metropolitan Santiago are compared. The first (1984-85) surveyed a sample of 687 mothers and the second 1,000. Deliveries took place at San Juan de Dios and Félix Bulnes hospitals (both state-finance) which provide medical care for medium and low income groups. Long spacing (5 years or more) accounted for the highest proportion of non-first born children (33.8% in 1984-85 with a significant increase to 40.1% in 1988) while short spacing (under 2 years) accounted for 19.2% in 1984-85 and 21.8% in 1988 (not significant). Mean birth weights were over 3,200 g in every spacing group. Despite the low illiteracy rate, predominant urban origin and having at least one child born before, high proportions of children were conceived despite the use of contraceptive measures (19.7% in 1984-85 and 22.5% in 1988). This contraceptive failure was less frequent among children born after longer spacings.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larrea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: MacKenney
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valverde
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valencia
mesh_terms: D001721:Birth Intervals; D001723:Birth Rate / Q000639:trends; D001724:Birth Weight; D002677:Chile; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D014505:Urban Population
vernacular_title: Tendencias demográficas: intervalo intergenésico.