Sibling order

Abstract: This paper analyzes child fosterage practices among the Mende "grannies" of Sierra Leone. It is argued that this practice mitigates the costs of high fertility to childbearers and distributes the benefits of children to elderly women. The data were drawn from an ethnographic survey involving 155 in-factors and 117 out-fosters. 22.5% of children under 5 years of age born to women surveyed 27.8% of children ages 6-10 years and 45.9% of those in the 11-15 year age group were living apart from their mothers. Whereas older children are sent to fosterage to obtain an education and make contacts that may allow them to enter the national government or business world smaller children are generally sent for reasons of child care especially when cash and food supplies are low. Grannies with wealth and prestige often mind many children. Factors such as sex legitimacy sibling order and age influence which children are sent to grannies. Girls high order siblings and illegitimate children are more likely to be sent to rural areas for care. In addition to the childrens labor grannies obtain money and supplies from parents; the ties to parents this arrangement implies provides these women with the means to subsist. In addition there is the potential of support from the children themselves in the future. Despite their illiteracy and isolation from the modern economy rural grannies are able to attain many of the benefits of modernization (e.g. cash imported household and clothing items access to modern legal help and medical care) through the institution of fosterage. To a certain extent the rural subsistence sector is absorbing some of the costs of high urban fertility. Sending a child to a rural granny allows young urban dwellers to avoid food and maintenance expenditures as well as losses of time from work. Finally fosterage provides urban migrants with a means to maintain ties with the rural community if they fail to integrate themselves into the urban area and must return home.

Abstract: A system and method of displaying a pedigree chart are described. The system allows for the adjusting of the resolution of the pedigree chart on the display. For example, the amount of information regarding each individual, the font size of the text describing the individual, and the zoom of the pedigree chart may be altered. The display may also include another frame which shows a“hand print” of a selected individual in the pedigree chart. Hint information, conflict information, chronological sibling order, the end of ancestral lines, and descendant structure for individuals may also be clearly displayed.

Abstract: Iron deficiency anemia is the most wide spread micronutrient deficiency disorder in the world, being most prevalent in women and young children. The present study was conducted to find out the prevalence of anemia in children and its contributory factors with reference to early iron supplementation. It was a cross sectional study done on 137 children of age 1-2 years in urban slums of Meerut. Prevalence of anemia in the study group was 59.9%. The socio-economic status, mother's educational status, birth weight, sibling order, and type of weaning food did not show any significant relationship with the prevalence of anemia in these children, whereas, weaning time, nutritional status and early iron supplementation had a positive impact on it. Exclusive breast feeding upto 4 months followed by weaning, adequate nutritional status and early iron supplementation have a definite role in prevention of anemia in children.