title: The use of traditional and modern methods of fertility control in Kinshasa, Zaire.
abstract: Abstract   The practice of post-partum abstinence has been a long-standing tradition in many societies of tropical Africa, yet recent research suggests an erosion of the taboo on post-partum sexual relations as a means of fertility control. The current study among women in the lower income groups in Kinshasa, Zaire, provides evidence of this. There is strong motivation toward child-spacing, as shown by 80 per cent of the women who reported to be currently practising some means of fertility control: 73 per cent with traditional methods, only 7 per cent with modern contraceptives. There appears to be some carry-over of traditional practice, in that abstinence is related to the age and nursing status of the last born child. However, the most widely practised method is withdrawal. This suggests a desire on the part of this population for alternatives to abstinence, an issue with important implications for future family planning programs in Zaire.
authors.affiliation: a      Department of Applied Health Sciences   ,  Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM)   ,  New Orleans ,  Louisiana ,    U.S.A.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malonga