 News
26th December 2006
Big families are bad for your health
Parents of big families are more likely to die younger than those with
fewer children, a study suggests.
Scientists from the University of Utah looked at 21,000
couples living in the area between 1860 and 1985. Between them they had
a total of 174,000 children.
Although the study is historical, the researchers say that
it showed parents, particularly mothers, were more likely to suffer bad
health and die early.
Maternal health was more seriously affected because of the
physical strains of pregnancy and childbirth.
The Utah study found that the couples had an average of
eight children each, and found that mothers were more likely than fathers
to die after the last child was born.
They also found that the larger the family, the more likely
children were to die before the age of 18.
The scientists, led by Dr Dustin Penn and Dr Ken Smith,
also believe the findings explain the menopause and modern family planning.
Humans are one of only a few species where the female goes
through a menopause which ends her fertility.
The researchers say, "Menopause appears to allow mothers
to live longer and rear more offspring to adulthood, and this unusual
life history probably evolved in our species because, as we found, offspring
so extremely depend on their mother's survival."
They also say the findings suggest why women now tend to
have fewer children.
"If women have generally incurred greater fitness costs
of reproduction, this could explain why they generally prefer fewer offspring
than their husbands and reduce their fertility when they obtain more reproductive
autonomy."
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