OBJECTIVE: To assess potential discrepancies in reproductive patterns of women living in areas at different levels of human development by analyzing their total fertility rates and age-specific rates. METHODS: Ninety-six districts of the city of São Paulo (Brazil) were grouped in 5 areas according to their human development index (HDI). Women aged 15 to 49 years were included in the study and data was obtained from live birth certificates during the year of 1997. Data was collected from live birth […]