Citation

Velez Venegas CA. Profamilia 1995; 13(26): 6-12.

Vernacular Title

Demografia y salud. Una encuesta para el desarrollo socioeconomico del pais.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, World Health Organization)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12347408

Abstract

The Colombian National Survey of Demography and Health was conducted in 1995 within the third round of world Demographic and Health Surveys. This survey was realized with the participation of 10,112 households containing 11,140 individuals in 5 regions of the country. It showed that 99.6% of women in Columbia were familiar with family planning methods and 72% of married women or those living in consensual union used contraceptives, especially those who were more educated and lived in urban areas. 58% of uneducated women used contraceptives vs. 77% of those who had higher education. Uneducated women preferred sterilization, while better educated women preferred IUDs and the condom. The Colombian women thought that the ideal number of children was 2 or 3 vs. a real fertility rate of 3. In Colombia there has been a significant decline of fertility since the 1960s. According to the 1995 National Demographic Survey (ENDS-95) fertility had declined by 23% in the previous 5 years and by 14% in the previous 10 years. In the Pacific region of the country the total fertility rate stayed high at 5, while in the large cities like Bogota, Medellin, and Cali the average number of children was 2.5. 17% of girls 15-19 years old were either mothers or pregnant with their first child. 9% of girls 19 years old had at least 2 children. With regard to sex behavior, 1 of every 5 rural women and 6% of those in urban areas did not know how to avoid HIV infection. 82% of women did not change their sex behavior after having learned about AIDS; 5% demanded to know the sex history of their partners; and 3% decided not to have sexual relations. Regarding sexual violence, 72% of the women said that verbal abuse is also violence. 26% of adolescent girls had been sexually abused by a relative, half of them by stepfathers, in a country where second and third unions are increasingly frequent. Among women who were victims of violence, the percentage who complained to the authorities increased from 11% to 27% between 1990 and 1995.

Language: es