The simple measure and fertility control measurement in Africa.

Anderson and Silver in 1992 proposed a simple measure for evaluating the intensity of fertility control. The measure was put forth as capable of reducing the problems which arise when using traditional measurements of the intensity of control. The nature of the method indicates that it would be most useful where data are least available and least reliable. However, the data used to test the model are all from contemporary developed countries. Data from Africa, which tend to have many deficiencies, are ignored. The method was therefore applied to data from nine African countries to test its usefulness in the African context. The authors found the simple method to be suitable for measuring and monitoring the extent of fertility control in those societies. Although the method has certain shortcomings, so does the traditional measure.