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Factors Affecting Infant Mortality in Rural Bangladesh: Results from a Retrospective Sample Survey 1
Author(s) -
Paul Bimal Kanti
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1549-0831.1990.tb00695.x
Subject(s) - infant mortality , demography , socioeconomic status , multivariate analysis , child mortality , pregnancy , rural area , fertility , relative risk , medicine , population , confidence interval , environmental health , biology , pathology , sociology , genetics
The primary objective of this paper is to assess the relative contribution of different socioeconomic and environmental factors affecting infant mortality in a rural area of Bangladesh. Data from detailed interviews with 1,787 women of reproductive ages were collected and analyzed. A multivariate approach was employed to examine the relative importance of different correlates of infant mortality. Birth interval and contraceptive use emerged as the strongest correlates of infant mortality. In addition, landholding size, birth of preferred sex, mother's age, and prior pregnancy loss had significant effects on infant mortality. The analysis suggests that some aspects of childbearing result in higher risks of infant mortality. Infant mortality could be reduced by altering the spacing of births and avoiding births at early reproductive ages. A positive impact on infant mortality could also result from improvements in economic conditions.