FAMILY-PLANNING AND FERTILITY IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIA - A COMMUNITY STUDY

Fertility and fertility regulation remain key issues in dealing with global problems of population control and ecological sustainability in modern society. The present study focuses on reproductive behavior and contraceptive use in a historically high fertility population in rural Southern Appalachia. The methodological design and analytical framework draws upon various survey and field research techniques to provide an integrated community study of fertility and family planning. Interviews were conducted with 407 husband-present women of childbearing age. A sub-sample of 105 of the same women was followed up for in-depth interviews. Ethnographic data were also gathered within the community in order to assess available services and knowledge about and attitudes toward fertility regulation. Study results show that although the community remains economically poor and relatively isolated, it has undergone a dramatic decline in fertility, and demonstrates a high level of support for fertility regulation, both at the community and individual level. This research tends to support the theoretical position that fertility decline in contemporary populations may be due as much to the availability and accessibility of modern contraceptive delivery systems as it is to the level of socio-economic development.