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Seasonality of births among Bedouin Arabs residing in the Negev Desert of Israel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

K. Guptill ,
H. Berendes ,
M. R. Forman ,
D. Chang ,
B. Sarov ,
L. Naggan  and
G. L. Hundt
K. Guptill
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
H. Berendes
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
M. R. Forman
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
D. Chang
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
B. Sarov
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
L. Naggan
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
G. L. Hundt
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Summary

From 1 January 1981 to 31 December 1982 information on all births to Bedouin Arab women residing in the Negev Desert of Israel showed a previously unreported seasonal pattern. The peak season, November-February, coincided with the period of cool temperatures and the Bedouin Arab cultural seasons of winter and spring. This pattern is different from those of Jewish and Christian groups in the same region, a difference not attributable to religion alone.

Sociodemographic factors associated with the peak season of birth include traditional occupations of fathers, multiparae 2+, and traditional place of residence. This pattern has persisted over the past 15 years although it is less apparent among the more recently sedentarized Bedouin Arabs.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 213 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © 1990, Cambridge University Press

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