United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Mortality and Causes of Death in Thailand: Evidence from the Survey of Population Change and Death Registration (Viewpoint) (PDF,98 KB)
By Pungpond Rukumnuaykit

This paper examines the overall mortality trends and emerging problems in terms of causes of death in Thailand. It also estimates the survival probabilities at different ages of the Thai population. The paper argues that the overall mortality situation for both males and females in the country is improving significantly. However, while infectious diseases are still among the leading causes of deaths, other causes related to risky behaviours leading to hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, accidents and suicides are increasingly becoming major causes of death in Thailand.
The results from survival estimates suggest that Thai males and females have similar survival probability up to early adulthood, after which adult females tend to have a significantly higher survival probability at every age than adult males. The reduction in the gap of the survivor probabilities between males and females is nevertheless due to a significant improvement in the survival probabilities of males, suggesting improvements in the health-care system for the overall population.
Realizing also that accurate mortality data is of crucial importance to assess the mortality situation, the paper discusses the quality of mortality data in Thailand. The findings suggest a great improvement in the completeness of death registration and the quality of data on causes of death in Thailand.
Gender, Leisure and Empowerment (PDF, 80 KB)
By Alaka Malwade Basu

This paper looks at leisure,an aspect of life that is generally neglected in the demographic literature. It argues that not only are access to and use of leisure as gendered as other frequently discussed attributes like education and employment, they also have similar demographic implications. Of course, leisure reflects gender differences in empowerment, but also leads to gender differences in empowerment. When leisure increases empowerment, this in turn affects fertility and health outcomes for women and their families in Asia. However, not all the demographic effects of leisure are positive. In particular, there is much about modern leisure that increases the sedentariness of life and therefore adversely influences physical health. Simultaneously, the primary form of sedentary leisure, the mass media, usually increases the kinds of knowledge and attitudes that encourage low fertility.
Population Ageing in East and South-East Asia, 1950-2050: Implications for Elderly Care (PDF, 113 KB)
By Ghazy Mujahid

As consequence of sustained declines in fertility and improvements in life expectancy during the last three decades of the twentieth century, East and South-East Asia is now faced with a high rate of population ageing. Given very high rates of growth in the older population in the coming years, the region faces the prospects of an increasing proportion of older persons (defined as those aged 60 years or more) of total population. Moreover, with continuing advancements in medical science, longevity continues to increase and the population of the oldest old (that is those aged 80 years or more) is projected to increase at even faster rates. Women constitute a majority of the older population and an even larger majority of the oldest old population. Older women are more vulnerable than older men, as a higher proportion of them are widowed and have a higher incidence of suffering from disabilities, this adds to the burden of care. This article describes these trends and the subsequent demands of care, mainly in terms of health care and living arrangements, but also the demands that will be placed on the shrinking proportions of the younger adult population. The paper highlights among other things, the need to strengthen both family-based and community-based care systems, which remain strong but are threatened by declining family size, migration and globalization. The article concludes by pointing to the need for mainstreaming ageing into all development programmes.

Unintended Live Birth versus Abortion: What Factors Affect the Choices of Vietnamese Women and Couples? (PDF, 102 KB)
By Linh Cu Le

Unintended pregnancy and abortion rates in Viet Nam are very high, exceeding the levels found in most developing countries and approaching those found in the more developed countries. This study assessed the factors associated with the choice of induced abortion as opposed to carrying unintended pregnancies to term.
“Calendar” data from the 1997 Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey II were used in the study. Bivariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to identify factors associated with decisions to terminate unintended pregnancies versus carry them to term as unintended live births.
A history of menstrual regulation/abortion was the strongest predictor of a woman’s decision to choose abortion. Family planning supply indicators were associated with the likelihood of unintended pregnancy, but not choice of abortion, nor were indicators of the availability of menstrual regulation/abortion services.
Menstrual regulation/abortion is widely used as a means of avoiding unintended births by women and couples in Viet Nam. The evidence indicates a need for expanded and higher quality family planning services, and in particular post-abortion services, in order to reduce the prevalence of unintended pregnancy as well as repeated abortion in the country.