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OBJECTIVE: To assess the behavior of induced abortion as a function of certain demographic variables, for the population of fertile women (15 to 49 years old) residing in the Vila Madalena subdistrict S. Paulo (Brazil). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Two population samples were selected. One sample, with 996 women, investigated the incidence of induced abortions during 1987, using the RRT. In the other, involving 1,004 women, the same information was detected through a conventional approach. In both samples, the induced abortion occurring during the reproductive life was recorded in direct fashion. Though this analysis refers only to information about past abortions, that is by 2,000 women-, it should be noted that it is exactly the RRT that lends credibility to the found or results given results. CONCLUSION: The analysis furnishes evidence showing that single women, young women between the ages of 15 and 19, women who have not had live births, women who have a number of children below the expected ideal, women who use contraceptive methods (especially inefficient ones) and women who do not have any restrictions as to abortion constitute the categories most inclined to resort to induced abortion. This grouping suggests the existence of interrelationships between categories, that is, each of these categories is probably composed primarily of the same women, those who are at the beginning of their reproductive lives.

PIP: Statistics on induced abortion incidence in Brazil are considered highly deficient. The randomized response technique (RRT) improves estimates of induced abortion by allowing women to furnish accurate information indirectly, maintaining privacy. Use of the RRT indicates that around 80% of women with induced abortions refuse to admit their experience when questioned directly. The present study explored induced abortion-related behavior among two samples of women 15-49 years from a subdistrict of Sao Paulo (Vila Madalena) as a function of demographic factors. In the first sample (n = 996), the incidence of induced abortion in the year preceding the survey (1987) was estimated through use of the RRT. In the second (n = 1004), the same information was sought through a conventional approach. A total of 275 induced abortions were reported. Analysis of variance indicated single women, women 15-19 years of age, those who have not had live births, those who have a number of children below the expected ideal, users of contraception (especially inefficient methods), and women who do not have any moral resistance to the practice of abortion are most likely to resort to induced abortion. The multivariate model identified a woman's beliefs as to the moral acceptability of abortion--a factor that derives from the broader cultural context--as the variable with the highest predictive value. Overall, these findings indicate a clear need for development of birth control methods that meet the needs of young women at the beginning of their reproductive lives since these women comprise the majority of abortion seekers.

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The present work employs a multivariate analysis technique to study, simultaneously, family relations and alcohol/drug consumption among 16,378 Brazilian high-school students. The analysis is centered on the relation between subjective or objective family situations and consumption. Subjective situations are measured by adolescents' perception of their families, that is, the family's environmental "climate"--whether violent situations occur at home, whether there is frequent dialogue about the youngsters' problems, and whether they perceive interest on the part of parents. Objective situations refer to the conjugal status of parents. Results pointed to family violence as the factor most frequently associated with alcohol/drug use behavior. It was also found that the family's environmental climate constitutes a more important factor than the conjugal status of parents, when it comes to the development of drug use behavior. Therefore, the impact of this last variable (whether parents are living together) is determined by environmental conditions: when those conditions are favorable (no violence, problems habitually talked about, parents concerned with their offspring) the fact that parents were effectively living together meant a smaller probability of alcohol/drug use; when these conditions were unfavorable, the same fact was associated with a greater probability of consumption.

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A study of a sample of 251 children aged between 1 and 10 was carried out in 6 districts of Cubatão county, S. Paulo State, Brazil. This study showed the presence of organochlorine pesticides in the blood serum of 242 children. p-p' DDE was detected in 73 of the samples (30%) and HCH in 47 of them (19%). The mean value of p-p' DDE was 0.85 +/- 2.13 micrograms/l. and that of HCH was 0.28 +/- 0.79 micrograms/l. Lead and mercury were also detected in the blood serum. The mean value for lead was 17.8 +/- 5.8 micrograms/l. and for mercury was 9.1 +/- 0.79 micrograms/l. The levels found in consumers of aquatic organisms taken from the rivers of Cubatão showed a mean mercury level (mean = 14.7 +/- 7.1 micrograms/l.) higher than (p < 0.04) that of those who did not consume any aquatic organisms at all (mean = 10.0 +/- 6.5 micrograms/l.).

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