Assessing sex differences in childhood mortality

The level and age pattern of infant and child mortality implied by the 2008 Nigeria
Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) is discussed in this paper. The Trussell variant
of the original Brass method was used to obtain the estimates of infant and childhood
mortality. Results of the analyses indicate that the East pattern of the Coale-Demeny
model life tables appear to describe the mortality pattern in the data most appropriately.
Although infant and child mortality level is still relatively high, there are indications that it
has declined from the results of the previous surveys. Therefore, the East pattern of the
Coale-Demeny model life tables has been recommended for use in estimating
demographic parameters in Nigeria. The study also recommends further improvements on
the levels health care delivery in Nigeria.

The importance of early life conditions for health in later life has been known for many years. Recent developments in modelling techniques have given rise to a series of in-depth studies that focused on educational attainment, labour market outcomes, adult health, the incidence of particular diseases and old-age mortality. However, not many studies look at the impact on health during early adulthood and, in particular, the literature that analyses how early life conditions affect female reproductive health is scant and often inconclusive. Using data from the Scanian Economic Demographic Database for women born between 1813 and 1898, this work studies the impact of exposure to insufficient nutrition while in-utero or to epidemics in the first year of life on offspring sex ratios at birth. We find that women of low socioeconomic status who were exposed in infancy to whooping cough give birth to a lower proportion of boys, probably as a result of a higher incidence of spontaneous abortions. Infant mortality is also higher for offspring born to women exposed to epidemics, and because of gender specific fetal mortality, it is lower for males in comparison to females.

Millions of people around the world are suffering from food shortages and hunger. Children and pregnant women are at risk of becoming permanently malnourished. It is therefore, imperative to provide adequate information about the dynamics of food insecurity at the household level as well as the nutrient intake of nursing mothers and their children as it affects their health. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect information. From the study, it was revealed that only 10% can afford appropriate nutrition for their children based on the nutritional chart provided during the survey. Thirteen percent of the respondents indicated that their children had anaemia four weeks preceding the survey. The logistic regression shows that women’s socio-economic status and nutritional intake are the predisposing factors for likelihood of having illness among infants in the study area. The study concludes that households should be encouraged to practise irrigated farming

The present study attempts to investigate the association between public spending on health and childhood mortality in India; using time-series cross-sectional data from various government sources for the period 1985-2009. Infant and child (age 1 to 4 years) mortality rates were used as the indicators for childhood mortality. Ordinary least squares, generalized least squares and fixed effects regression models were used to investigate the association between public spending on health and childhood mortality. The findings suggest insignificant association between public spending on health and childhood mortality both at the country level and for the EAG states. On the contrary, per capita state income and female literacy were significantly associated with improved childhood survival. Percentage of the population living below the poverty line was significantly associated with infant and child mortality only in the EAG states. The findings call for a number of other measures along with increased public spending on health to reduce infant and child mortality in India.

Under-five mortality rates (U5MR) have been declining slowly in Sub-Saharan Africa: between 1990 and 2008 the U5MR declined by only 22%. If there is a strong relationship between birth month and U5MR, then policies that help women conceive during optimal periods or that improve the health of pregnant women may help reduce U5MR. But the effectiveness of such policies will depend on whether the birth month effects are the result of structural differences in fertility patterns, or due to differences in pre and post-natal environments.
We use piecewise exponential hazard models to analyze the relationship between birth month and U5MR, in 30 SSA countries using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys. We also use logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between birth month and stunting.
The birth month effects on child mortality and stunting are large and statistically significant. On average, the U5MR associated with the birth month with the highest cumulative hazard is 39% higher than the U5MR for the birth month with lowest cumulative hazard. The maximum difference in predicted probabilities of being stunted between two birth months is on average nine percentage points. The birth month effects are not due to social-demographic differences in fertility patterns.

Uganda has a low contracepive prevalence of 30%, high total fertility rate of 6.2 children and high under five morality rates of 90 deaths per 1000 live births. Using the 2006 DHS dataset on a sample of 8531 women, we set out to examine the effects of under-five mortality on fertility preference and contraceptive use in Uganda. The data used herein was selected based on birth and death histories as well as on reproduction and contraception information. Studied variables included; whether women would want to have another child, had lost a child and whether they were using or intended to use contraceptives. Descriptive statistics of Resepondents' background characteristics were generated. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between child survival status with whether a woman would want to have another child and whether they were using or intend to use contraceptives. Findings present statistical significance between child survival and the independent variables which included; contraceptive use, fertility preference, education, religion and wealth status. Women who had lost a child had higher odds of not using contraceptives and were more likely to prefer having anmother child. The results present a high need to reduce mortality and improve access to health care to vulnerable populations.

Under-nutrition is an ugly face of deprivation witnessed in the developing world that is experienced by adult and children alike. While undernourishment is a typical feature of poorer regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, it is also prevalent in developing regions at large including the South Asian region. This deprivation is in contrast with the experience of economic growth in recent times in countries of this region. In fact, the phenomenon of under nutrition has a regional divide within nations and makes population groups of specific characteristics and identity more vulnerable than others. According to the third round of the National Family Health Survey, it was observed that under-nutrition rates are relatively higher among the tribal population and those belonging to the lower wealth quintile group. The persistence of levels of undernourishment undoubtedly points towards the failure of the numerous governmental schemes targeted at addressing this menace. Such failure may be due to the absence of adequate monitoring mechanism in place, lack of accountability in its execution and governance and shortcomings arising out of the backwardness of the state and corruption.
With this pretext, the present study attempts to understand the dynamics of nutritional deprivation as major contributing factor for high mortality.

A recent study focusing on Italian Early and Late Middle Ages using archaeological data shows that the ratio between male and female individuals aged 20+ was clearly disproportionate in favour of the former (169 men per 100 women). Such unbalanced sex ratio is not observed neither in Italian cemeteries during Roman times or Late Antiquity nor in medieval necropolises of France, Hungary and Germany. The first aim of this paper is to demonstrate that this disproportionate sex ratio mirrors a higher infant and youth female mortality in the Italian Middle Ages, rather than statistical artefacts or selection problems concerning data on the necropolises compared those on the general population. The second aim is to disentangle the causes of such peculiarities. The (albeit scarce) written sources support the idea that the transition from Roman to medieval times in Italy was characterized by a weakening of the pater familias and – more generally – the family of origin’s control over women (throughout their lives), in part due to a widespread affirmation of exogamous marriage. This shift may have been particularly drastic in Italy – the heart of the Roman familial system – compared to Central-Eastern Europe.

Death is inevitable in all societies irrespective of colour, group or nationality. However, infants have greater risks of dying than matured people due to several factors, especially to their biological immaturity. Moreover, studies have established that infants whose parents are rich tend to enjoy higher chances of surviving than those whose parents are poor. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the household socio-economic status and infant mortality (Death) in the study area. The study will anchor on social model and medical model to explain infant deaths within an household.The study population will consist of women in reproductive age group s between the ages of 16- 47 years., who had live birth within the last two years and men whose wives had live birth within the same time frame. A sample size of five hundred women and men will be selected across the state. The respondents will be chosen across the study areas using multi-stage technique. Twenty-health centre’s personnel will selected for in-depth interview across the state. The study hopes to find how household socio economic status affects both neonatal death and post neo-natal

In this paper an attempt to study the spatial existence of gender bias in child health care has been made based on which the problematic region is identified and thus the various socio-economic determinants affecting child health on the problematic area is studied.
Uttar Pradesh records highest infant and child mortality with huge gender gap in mortality rates. General neglect of the girl child can be attributed to the traditional importance of the males in this patriarchic society. A Triangle Zone of high mortality differentials is identified which is called “a zone of survival disadvantage for girls” by some scholars. In spite of all the developmental efforts child mortality, underweighted children, prevalence of chronic and preventable diseases in study area remains to be significantly high. The regression analysis shows that education of the mother and the standard of living has a strong positive influence over child health. More educated mothers are more likely to have higher age at first birth and thus lesser number of births. Working mothers usually tend to have more vaccinated but result in underweighted children. However, social factors like religion, caste and also the place of residence do not seem to affect child health much.