GENDER DIFFERENCES IN CHILD SURVIVAL IN CONTEMPORARY RURAL CHINA: A COUNTY STUDY

Using data from a survey of deaths of children less than 5 years old conducted in 1997 in a county in Shaanxi Province, China, this paper examines gender differences in child survival in contemporary rural China. First, excess female child mortality in the county in 1994–96 is described, followed by an analysis of the mechanisms whereby the excess mortality takes place, and the underlying social, economic and cultural factors behind it. Excess female child mortality in this county is probably caused primarily by discrimination against girls in curative health care rather than in preventive health care or food and nutrition. Although discrimination occurs in all kinds of families and communities, discrimination itself is highly selective, and is primarily against girls with some specific characteristics. It is argued that the excess mortality of girls is caused fundamentally by the strong son preference in traditional Chinese culture, but exacerbated by the government-guided family planning programme and regulations. This suggests that it is crucial to raise the status of girls within the family and community so as to mitigate the pressures to discriminate against girls in China’s low fertility regime. Finally, the possible policy options to improve female child survival in contemporary rural China are discussed.

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Explaining Sex Differentials in Child Mortality in India: Trends and Determinants

International Journal of Population Research ◽

10.1155/2014/649741 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Shrikant Kuntla ◽

Srinivas Goli ◽

Kshipra Jain

Keyword(s):

Child Mortality ◽

Gini Index ◽

Child Survival ◽

Family Health ◽

Female Child ◽

National Family Health Survey ◽

Sex Differentials ◽

National Family ◽

Decomposition Models ◽

Mother’S Age

This study has twofold objectives: (1) to investigate the progress in sex differentials in child mortality in India in terms of within and between group changes and (2) to identify the factors explaining the sex differentials in child mortality and quantify their relative contributions. We have used three rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, 1992 to 2006. Life table approach and Pyatt and Oaxaca decomposition models were used as methods of analyses. The results revealed that though sex differential in child mortality is still high in India, it declined during 1992 to 2006 (Gini index from 0.36 to 0.24). This decline was primarily led by a change in within inequality of female child mortality (Gini index from 0.18 to 0.14). Among the selected predictors, breastfeeding (40%), birth order (24%), antenatal care (9%), and mother’s age (7%) emerged as critical contributors for the excess female child mortality in India. From the findings of this study, we suggest that any efforts to do away with gender differences in child survival should focus more on within female child disparity across different population subgroups alongside male-female disparity. Implications are advanced.

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Gender Differences in Child Health-care Practices: Evidence from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 1990-91

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v34i4iipp.693-707 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 34 (4II) ◽

pp. 693-707 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Naushin Mahmood ◽

Mir Annice Mahmood

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Child Mortality ◽

Female Child ◽

Health Care Utilisation ◽

Childhood Mortality ◽

Health Care Practices ◽

Care Utilisation ◽

Care Practices ◽

Gender Based ◽

Using Data

Among other factors, health care utilisation is important in determining the health status and survival chances of children. The patterns of childhood mortality, in general, indicate that deaths of male children have consistently exceeded those of females, with a much greater difference in the first month of birth (NNR). This has largely been attributed to differences in the genetic and biological factors between the sexes [Lopez and Ruzika (1983)]. The mortality level, thereafter, is influenced more by the socio-economic, environmental, and health care factors, indicating a mortality disadvantage for females in some populations. It has therefore been postulated that gender-based differences in health care practices partly explain the sex differentials in child mortality in some countries of South Asia, where healthseeking behaviour of parents discriminates against female children [Chen, et al. (1981); Das Gupta (1987); Sathar (1987); Ahmed (1990)]. Using data from Bangladesh, Chen, Haq, and D’Souza (1981) found that girls’ mortality risk was nearly 60 percent higher than that for boys after the neonatal period, and that girl children suffered more malnutrition and received lesser treatment for various infections. Das Gupta (1987) and Muhuri and Preston (1991) also explained the excess mortality of girls with a surviving elder sister in terms of conscious, selective neglect of the second daughter. Waldron (1983) in her extensive review of child mortality patterns in developing countries concluded that besides relative contributions of specific causes of death with different impact by sex, the variability in discrimination by gender, primarily in nutrition and health care utilisation, also contributes to excess female child mortality (1–4 age group).

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Mother’s Health-seeking Behaviour and Childhood Mortality in Pakistan

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v35i4iipp.719-731 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 35 (4II) ◽

pp. 719-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ghulam Mustafa Zahid

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Child Mortality ◽

Child Survival ◽

Educational Status ◽

Childhood Mortality ◽

Health Seeking Behaviour ◽

Health Seeking ◽

Infant And Child Mortality ◽

Child Mortality Rate

The paper examines the Mother’s Health-seeking Behaviour and Childhood Mortality in Pakistan. This is based on the 1990-91 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), a nationally representative survey covering all four provinces of the country. It was found that neonatal, infant, and child mortality rate is the highest among children of mothers aged less than 20 years. Infant and Child mortality rate is likewise higher among first and higher order births than among births of second or third order. It has further found that mortality declines as the length of the birth interval increases. The results reveal that the education of mother has significant effect on the neonatal, infant and child survival, as mother’s education increases the chances of survival of neonatal, infant and child also increases. Health care factors such as antenatal care, place of delivery, assistance at delivery and immunisation also influenced neonatal, infant and child mortality. The paper suggests that for the improvement of the health conditions of children in Pakistan, first, it is necessary that the educational status of the population in general, and of mothers in particular, should be improved, and second, the health services should be accessible and available for the promotion of health care practices.

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Spatial Modeling of Risk Factors for Gender-Specific Child Mortality in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Geographic Information Systems and Health Applications ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-042-4.ch013 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 224-242

Author(s):

Mohammod Ali ◽

Christine Ashley ◽

M. Zahirul Haq ◽

Peter Kim Streatfield

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Child Mortality ◽

Child Survival ◽

Female Child ◽

Geographic Information ◽

Treatment Center ◽

Spatial Risk ◽

Cultural Interventions ◽

Gender Specific ◽

Predicted Risk

This chapter describes the use of geographic information systems to predict spatial risk of child survival problems in a rural area of Bangladesh. Demographic, health service and socioeconomic surveillance data linked with a geographic information system from the rural area were used to predict the risk of gender-specific child mortality. Temporal data from the area show that child mortality rates have declined, and that gender differences in mortality have been eliminated. However, results of the higher mortality area analysis show that this decline has not been consistent in all areas. A wide geographical variation of mortality exists within the area as well. In general, places that had no intensive child health intervention, no outside embankment and were distant from a treatment center predicted a higher risk for child mortality. An area with Hindu predominance predicted risk for only female child mortality. The results of the analysis suggest that, with socioeconomic and cultural interventions, spatial variations in child mortality can be minimized.

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Child survival in East Africa: The impact of preventive health care

World Development ◽

10.1016/s0305-750x(96)00081-2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 24 (12) ◽

pp. 1841-1857 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Martin Brockerhoff ◽

Laurie F. Derose

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

East Africa ◽

Child Survival ◽

Preventive Health Care ◽

Preventive Health ◽

The Impact

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Mothers’ Preventive Health Care Practices and Children’s Survival in Burkina Faso: Findings from Repeated Cross-sectional Household Surveys

Comparative Population Studies ◽

10.12765/cpos-2020-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

Author(s):

Badolo Hermann ◽

Appunni Sathiya Susuman ◽

Bado Aristide Romaric ◽

Hien Mwinonè Hervé

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Child Survival ◽

Preventive Health Care ◽

Preventive Health ◽

Health Programs ◽

Survey Period ◽

Under Five ◽

Period Effects ◽

Unit Increase

The significant reduction in the level of child mortality in both developed and developing countries over recent decades has led to an improvement in children’s health. The implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the health programs needed to reduce child mortality require determination and an understanding of the factors responsible for this reduction. This study investigated factors that have contributed to the recent improvement in the survival of children under five, focusing on the contribution of preventive health care in improving children’s survival rates in Burkina Faso. The data used come from baseline and end-line surveys designed to evaluate the impact of performance-based financing (PBF) on health programs in Burkina Faso. Using time-series for health districts and child-level logistic regression models, we estimated the effect of preventive health care, as summarized by the changes in the composite coverage index (CCI), on under-five child survival of temporal trends and covariates at the household, maternal, and child levels. At the health district level, a unit increase in standardized CCI was associated with an improvement in under-five child survival after adjustment for survey period effects. The linear regression analysis showed that a standardized unit increase in CCI was associated with an increase in the percentage of children under five who survive. At the child level, the logistic regression showed that a skilled attendant at birth (SBA), wealth index, and mother’s parity were associated with under-five children’s survival, after adjustment for the survey period effects and a set of household, maternal, and child-level covariates. Preventive health care is important in improving under-five children’s survival, whereas the effects of economic growth in Burkina Faso remain weak and inconsistent. Improved coverage of preventive health care interventions are likely to contribute to further reductions in under-five mortality in Burkina Faso.

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