scholarly journals Trends in the association between educational assortative mating, infant and child mortality in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolulope Ariyo ◽  
Quanbao Jiang

Abstract Background Existing knowledge has established the connection between maternal education and child survival, but little is known about how educational assortative mating (EAM), relates to childhood mortality. We attempt to examine this association in the context of Nigeria. Methods Data was obtained from the 2008, 2013, and 2018 waves of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, which is a cross-sectional study. The sample includes the analysis of 72,527 newborns within the 5 years preceding each survey. The dependent variables include the risk of a newborn dying before 12 months of age (infant mortality), or between the age of 12–59 months (child mortality). From the perspective of the mother, the independent variable, EAM, includes four categories (high-education homogamy, low-education homogamy, hypergamy, and hypogamy). The Cox proportional hazard regression was employed for multivariate analyses, while the estimation of mortality rates across the spectrum of EAM was obtained through the synthetic cohort technique. Results The risk of childhood mortality varied across the spectrum of EAM and was particularly lowest among those with high-education homogamy. Compared to children of mothers in low-education homogamy, children of mothers in high-education homogamy had 25, 31 to 19% significantly less likelihood of infant mortality, and 34, 41, and 57% significantly less likelihood of child mortality in 2008, 2013 and 2018 survey data, respectively. Also, compared to children of mothers in hypergamy, children of mothers in hypogamous unions had 20, 12, and 11% less likelihood of infant mortality, and 27, 36, and 1% less likelihood of child mortality across 2008, 2013 and 2018 surveys, respectively, although not significant at p < 0.05. Both infant and child mortality rates were highest in low-education homogamy, as expected, lowest in high-education homogamy, and lower in hypogamy than in hypergamy. Furthermore, the trends in the rate declined between 2008 and 2018, and were higher in 2018 than in 2013. Conclusion This indicates that, beyond the absolute level of education, the similarities or dissimilarities in partners’ education may have consequences for child survival, alluding to the family system theory. Future studies could investigate how this association varies when marital status is put into consideration.

2000 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAWRENCE IKAMARI

This paper examines whether infant and child mortality risks among successive siblings are closely correlated, and if so, whether the survival status of the preceding child is an important factor affecting infant and child mortality in Kenya. The data were drawn from the 1988/89 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Logistic regression was used as the major method of data analysis. The results show that both infant and child mortality rates are significantly higher among subsequent children whose preceding siblings had died in infancy than for those whose preceding sibling had survived through infancy. The effect of the survival status of the preceding child on infant mortality was statistically strong, even after a large number of control variables were taken into account. However, its effect on child mortality appears to be spurious since it was rendered statistically insignificant when just a few control variables were introduced into the analysis. The results provide empirical evidence that infant and child mortality risks among successive siblings are closely correlated in Kenyan families, and that the effect of the survival status of the preceding child is important in determining infant mortality but not child mortality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Simeon Olawuwo ◽  
N. Forcheh ◽  
S. Setlhare

Research has shown that knowledge about the determinants of childhood mortality at the individual level is not enough to address the problem because the characteristics of the environment where a child is born tend to alter individual level characteristics and thereby affect child survival. The study used data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The fact that a child was either dead or alive was assumed to be accurately recorded. Hence, logistic regression model was used to model whether a child is dead or alive with respect to the selected predictor variables. Results from the study reveal that infant and child mortality in Nigeria is determined more by individual household than by community, and that geographical variations also exist. This study has identified significant risk factors that will help policy makers to formulate policies that will improve childhood survival.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 58-85
Author(s):  
Kai P. Willführ ◽  
Charlotte Störmer

In this paper, we investigate how the reproductive behavior of families in the historical Krummhörn region was affected by their social status and by short-term fluctuations in their socioeconomic conditions. Poisson and Cox regression models are used to analyze the age at first reproduction, fertility, the sex ratio of the offspring, sex-specific infant/child survival, and the number of children. In addition, we investigate how fluctuations in crop prices affected infant and child mortality and fertility using Cox proportional regression models. We also include information about the seasonal climate that may have had an effect on crop prices, as well as on infant mortality via other pathways. We find that the economic upper class produced more infants and had more children who survived to adulthood than the lower social strata. While the upper class did not have lower infant and child mortality than the lower class, they had more surviving children because of their shorter birth intervals and lower female age at marriage. Crop prices did not affect mortality or fertility before 1820. From 1820 onwards, high crop prices were associated with increased child (but not infant) mortality and with extended inter-birth intervals. We believe this period-sensitive response to changes in the crop price was the result of a social transition that took place during our study period, in which relations between the classes went from being based on communal “table fellowships” (Tischgemeinschaft) to being based on capitalist employer/employee arrangements.


1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (4II) ◽  
pp. 719-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghulam Mustafa Zahid

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.


1983 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Kohli ◽  
Musa'ad Al-Omaim

SummaryThis paper examines the levels, trends and Kuwaiti–non-Kuwaiti differentials in stillbirth, infant and child mortality rates during the 1957–79 period. The present infant mortality rate (33 per 1000) and its component parts are high in contrast to those in more developed countries. But during the last few decades, the rates showed definite decline. The decline in infant and child mortality was rapid between 1955 and 1970 when the infant death rate was about 100 or more per thousand livebirths, but slowed after the infant mortality rates were brought down to around 50 in 1970. The large scale reduction in mortality since 1950 is closely associated with socioeconomic progress and improvements in standards of living as well as wider availability and better accessibility of health services. Kuwait is still in a position where mortality can be reduced further, provided that investment in health and education continues.


1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-129
Author(s):  
Petr Svobodný

During most of the eighteenth century the Italian Hospital in Prague served mostly as a home for foundlings and orphans, who remained in the Hospital until they were around age twenty. The Hospital's death register is an important source for the study of mortality patterns among infants, children, and young persons in their teens, but the information in it has to be evaluated critically. Analysis of death patterns suggests that the Hospital's care system was not able to reduce significantly the expected high infant and child mortality rates, but also that the Hospital's residents did enjoy certain kinds of care that were not available to children in private homes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Field ◽  
Elaine Boyle ◽  
Elizabeth Draper ◽  
Alun Evans ◽  
Samantha Johnson ◽  
...  

BackgroundOur aims were (1) to improve understanding of regional variation in early-life mortality rates and the UK’s poor performance in international comparisons; and (2) to identify the extent to which late and moderately preterm (LMPT) birth contributes to early childhood mortality and morbidity.ObjectiveTo undertake a programme of linked population-based research studies to work towards reducing variations in infant mortality and morbidity rates.DesignTwo interlinked streams: (1) a detailed analysis of national and regional data sets and (2) establishment of cohorts of LMPT babies and term-born control babies.SettingCohorts were drawn from the geographically defined areas of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and analyses were carried out at the University of Leicester.Data sourcesFor stream 1, national data were obtained from four sources: the Office for National Statistics, NHS Numbers for Babies, Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries and East Midlands and South Yorkshire Congenital Anomalies Register. For stream 2, prospective data were collected for 1130 LMPT babies and 1255 term-born control babies.Main outcome measuresDetailed analysis of stillbirth and early childhood mortality rates with a particular focus on factors leading to biased or unfair comparison; review of clinical, health economic and developmental outcomes over the first 2 years of life for LMPT and term-born babies.ResultsThe deprivation gap in neonatal mortality has widened over time, despite government efforts to reduce it. Stillbirth rates are twice as high in the most deprived as in the least deprived decile. Approximately 70% of all infant deaths are the result of either preterm birth or a major congenital abnormality, and these are heavily influenced by mothers’ exposure to deprivation. Births at < 24 weeks’ gestation constitute only 1% of all births, but account for 20% of infant mortality. Classification of birth status for these babies varies widely across England. Risk of LMPT birth is greatest in the most deprived groups within society. Compared with term-born peers, LMPT babies are at an increased risk of neonatal morbidity, neonatal unit admission and poorer long-term health and developmental outcomes. Cognitive and socioemotional development problems confer the greatest long-term burden, with the risk being amplified by socioeconomic factors. During the first 24 months of life each child born LMPT generates approximately £3500 of additional health and societal costs.ConclusionsHealth professionals should be cautious in reviewing unadjusted early-life mortality rates, particularly when these relate to individual trusts. When more sophisticated analysis is not possible, babies of < 24 weeks’ gestation should be excluded. Neonatal services should review the care they offer to babies born LMPT to ensure that it is appropriate to their needs. The risk of adverse outcome is low in LMPT children. However, the risk appears higher for some types of antenatal problems and when the mother is from a deprived background.Future workFuture work could include studies to improve our understanding of how deprivation increases the risk of mortality and morbidity in early life and investigation of longer-term outcomes and interventions in at-risk LMPT infants to improve future attainment.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e022737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Tashiro ◽  
Kayako Sakisaka ◽  
Etsuji Okamoto ◽  
Honami Yoshida

ObjectivesTo examine associations between access to medical care, geological data, and infant and child mortality in the area of North-Eastern Japan that was impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) in 2011.DesignA population-based ecological study using publicly available data.SettingTwenty secondary medical areas (SMAs) in the disaster-affected zones in the north-eastern prefectures of Japan (Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi). Participants: Children younger than 10 years who died in the 20 SMAs between 2008 and 2014 (n=1 748). Primary and secondary outcome measures: Multiple regression analysis for infant and child mortality rate. The mean values were applied for infant and child mortality rates and other factors before GEJET (2008–2010) and after GEJET (2012–2014).ResultsBetween 2008 and 2014, the most common cause of death among children younger than 10 years was accidents. The mortality rate per 100 000 persons was 39.1±41.2 before 2011, 226.7±43.4 in 2011 and 31.4±39.1 after 2011. Regression analysis revealed that the mortality rate was positively associated with low age in each period, while the coastal zone was negatively associated with fewer disaster base hospitals in 2011. By contrast, the number of obstetrics and gynaecology centres (β=−189.9, p=0.02) and public health nurses (β=−1.7, p=0.01) was negatively associated with mortality rate per person in 2011.ConclusionsIn 2011, the mortality rate among children younger than 10 years was 6.4 times higher than that before and after 2011. Residence in a coastal zone was significantly associated with higher child mortality rates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. e001997
Author(s):  
Erin McLean ◽  
Rolf Klemm ◽  
Hamsa Subramaniam ◽  
Alison Greig

WHO recommends vitamin A supplementation (VAS) programmes for children 6–59 months where vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem. However, resources for VAS are falling short of current needs and programme coverage is suffering. The authors present the case for considering the options for shifting efforts and resources from a generalised approach, to prioritising resources to reach populations with continued high child mortality rates and high vitamin A deficiency prevalence to maximise child survival benefits . This includes evaluating where child mortality and/or vitamin A deficiency has dropped, as well as using under 5 mortality rates as a proxy for vitamin A deficiency, in the absence of recent data. The analysis supports that fewer countries may now need to prioritise VAS than in the year 2000, but that there are still a large number of countries that do. The authors also outline next steps for analysing options for improved targeting and cost-effectiveness of programmes. Focusing VAS resources to reach the most vulnerable is an efficient use of resources and will continue to promote young child survival.


2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Kanter

ABSTRACTBackground: Age-specific pediatric health consequences of community disruption after Hurricane Katrina have not been analyzed. Post-Katrina vital statistics are unavailable. The objectives of this study were to validate an alternative method to estimate child mortality rates in the greater New Orleans area and compare pre-Katrina and post-Katrina mortality rates.Methods: Pre-Katrina 2004 child mortality was estimated from death reports in the local daily newspaper and validated by comparison with pre-Katrina data from the Louisiana Department of Health. Post-Katrina child mortality rates were analyzed as a measure of health consequences.Results: Newspaper-derived estimates of mortality rates appear to be valid except for possible underreporting of neonatal rates. Pre-Katrina and post-Katrina mortality rates were similar for all age groups except infants. Post-Katrina, a 92% decline in mortality rate occurred for neonates (<28 days), and a 57% decline in mortality rate occurred for postneonatal infants (28 days–1 year). The post-Katrina decline in infant mortality rate exceeds the pre-Katrina discrepancy between newspaper-derived and Department of Health–reported rates.Conclusions: A declining infant mortality rate raises questions about persistent displacement of high-risk infants out of the region. Otherwise, there is no evidence of long-lasting post-Katrina excess child mortality. Further investigation of demographic changes would be of interest to local decision makers and planners for recovery after public health emergencies in other regions.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:62-65)


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