Maternal factors and infant and child mortality in Bangladesh.
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This paper investigates the association of early childhood mortality (between birth and second birthday) with ethnicity in Nepal, based on data from the 1976 Nepal Fertility Survey, which was part of the World Fertility Survey. The approach is through a series of hazard models, which incorporate ethnicity, year of birth, mother's illiteracy, father's illiteracy, rural-urban residence, region, sex, maternal age, survival of previous birth, previous birth interval, and breast-feeding as covariates. Ethnic differentials in early childhood mortality are not explained by the other socioeconomic and demographic covariates, except for a modest effect of illiteracy, but the remaining covariates explain a great deal of variability in early childhood mortality itself. Analysis using an improved specification of breast-feeding as an age-varying covariate indicates, on average, that breast-feeding, relative to not breast-feeding, reduces age-specific mortality risks during the first 2 years of life by 76%, a very large effect.
The Nepal Fertility and Family Planning Survey of 1986 demonstrated that demographic variables, previous birth interval and survival of preceding child, still predominated as determinants of infant mortality, particularly in rural areas of Nepal. However, in urban Nepal, where the level of socioeconomic development is higher, an environmental variable, along with previous birth interval and survival of preceding child emerges as important in determining infant mortality. Separate policy measures for child survival prospects in rural and urban Nepal are suggested.
Infant and child mortality differentials are analysed by education of parents and other family members, access to toilet, electricity and source of drinking water in urban Nepal, using data from the Nepal Fertility and Family Planning Survey, 1986. The analyses showed significant effects of education, access to toilet and electricity in lowering infant and child mortality. Access to toilet and electricity are proxies for household socioeconomic status which suggests that education and household resources are complementary in lowering the infant and child mortality.
Data from an historical population in which fertility control was minimal and modern health services were mostly unavailable are used to show that there appears to have been a strong association between previous birth interval length and infant mortality, especially when the previous child survived. Although only imperfect proxies for breast-feeding practices and other potentially confounding factors are available for this population, the results suggest that the association between previous interval length and infant mortality in this population is not solely, or primarily, a function of differences in breast-feeding behaviour or socioeconomic status. Other factors, e.g. maternal depletion or sibling competition, are more likely to explain the observed association.
Information on levels, trends and determinants of infant and child mortality was available from the 1985 In-depth Fertility Survey which was conducted in three provinces of China. Mortality of children below age 5 varied from 49 per 1000 live births in Shaanxi to 20 in Shanghai in 1980-85 and has declined substantially since 1960, from 206 in Shaanxi and 66 in Shanghai. Male mortality was considerably higher than female mortality in the neonatal and post-neonatal period, and at ages 1-5 years. Birth weight, place of residence and mother's education were found to be important determinants of mortality; age of mother and parity were less important.
Of a total of 755 neonates who died between 1972 and 1988, 331 (43.9%) were subjected to necropsy examination. The ranking of major primary causes of neonatal death was as follows: infections 27.2%, hyaline membrane disease 20.2%, congenital malformations 19.6%, perinatal anoxia 14.5%, immaturity 5.1% and birth trauma 2.7%. Over the years, the prevalence of infections as the cause of death has consistently declined. Compared with that in other contemporary Indian studies, the prevalence of hyaline membrane disease is higher and that of infections and perinatal anoxia relatively lower.
Analyses of vital data derived from a family record register for the native population of Guam reveal significant variations in births, deaths, and marriages over the period 1901-41. Although lacking marked photoperiod or temperature changes of temperate zones, the tropical island is subject to marked seasonal differences in rainfall characteristic of western Pacific islands. Marital patterns exhibit troughs associated respectively with the Lenten period and with Christmas celebrations. Infant and childhood deaths show close correspondence with rainfall patterns, consistently exceeding expected values during the rainy season (July-November) when conditions are optimal for the spread of communicable and gastrointestinal diseases. Births attain a peak in November, or at the beginning of the more advantageous season for infant health and survival. Seasonality in vital events, reported for many Euroamerican and some African and Asian populations of modern and historical periods, has rarely been documented for native populations of the tropical Pacific. Comparisons of differences in these patterns among different populations in varied environments provide unique opportunities to evaluate causal models of interactions among biological, sociocultural, and physioenvironmental factors.
An institution-based surveillance and nested case-control study was conducted in Natal, Northeastern Brazil to estimate the level and determinants of early neonatal mortality. The early neonatal mortality rate was 25.5 per 1000 live-birth, 75% of early neonatal deaths were premature low birthweight infants, and the mortality rates were 591 and 318 per 1000 respectively, for preterm small for gestational age (PT-SGA) and preterm appropriate for gestational age (PT-AGA) infants. Mortality was 50 per 1000 for term low birthweight, and 8.6 for term normal birthweight AGA infants. In addition to prematurity and low birthweight, the main risk factors associated with early neonatal death were maternal smoking, complications during pregnancy or intrapartum, and inadequate antenatal care. The associations were weaker for prepregnancy factors such as single marital status or low maternal body weight, and no significant associations were observed with socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that in this population, efforts to reduce early neonatal death should focus on improved maternal care and the prevention of prematurity.
In the US, black infants born near or at term experience higher mortality than white infants. To extend our understanding of black-white differences in the relative advantages of growth (measured by birthweight) for gestational age, we compared race-specific rates of perinatal mortality by deviation in grams from the median birthweight for four categories of gestation (35-36, 37-38, 39-41, and 42-43 weeks). We also used race-specific standards to examine the difference between the median birthweight and the optimum birthweight (i.e. birthweight with the lowest mortality). The data, which were derived from vital records for singletons delivered in the US from 1983-1984, comprised 24,626 fetal and neonatal deaths among 5,157,197 white infants and 5973 fetal and neonatal deaths among 926,678 black infants. At all deviations from the median birthweight, black infants had relatively better survival at 35-36 weeks of gestation. This advantage was reversed among infants with gestations of 39-41 and 42-43 weeks. The optimum birthweight for black infants with gestations greater than or equal to 37 weeks was closer to their median birthweight than was that for white infants. For black infants with gestations of 39-41 weeks, the optimum birthweight was 187g (95% confidence interval (CI): 150-234) greater than the median birthweight (3289g); for comparable white infants the optimum birthweight was 397g (95% CI: 366-431) greater than the median birthweight (3487g). To reduce the black-white gap in perinatal mortality, we need a better understanding of aetiological relations between gestation, growth, and mortality.
The incidence of, and risk factors associated with, perinatal mortality in Shanghai during 1986-1987 are examined using data from a multi-site study conducted in 29 hospitals. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 14.96 per 1000 births. The mortality rates of antepartum fetal death, intrapartum fetal death and early neonatal death were 5.97, 2.06 and 6.94 per 1000 births, respectively. The perinatal mortality rates increased in winter and late spring. Male neonates were 1.5 times more likely to die than females. Low birthweight and preterm infants had 15 to 80 times higher risk of perinatal death. Higher parity, multiple pregnancy, and maternal age greater than or equal to 35 years were the risk factors for perinatal mortality. Asphyxia, cord complications, and congenital malformations were found to be the major causes of perinatal deaths. Comparison of mortality rates between Shanghai and the US suggests that the shortage of advanced technology in perinatal care (e.g. neonatal intensive care units) is a major obstacle to the reduction of perinatal mortality in Shanghai.
The Jamaican Perinatal Survey included among its objectives the quantification of the island's neonatal mortality rate, the identification of the causes of these deaths (Wigglesworth Classification), and the determination of characteristics of both mother and infant that are associated with increased mortality. A death questionnaire was completed on babies who were born between September 1986 and August 1987, and who died in the neonatal period throughout the island of Jamaica. The neonatal mortality rate was 17.9 per 1000 live births with early and late rates of 16.0 and 1.9 per 1000, respectively. The major contributors to neonatal demise were prematurity and intrapartum asphyxia (74 per cent). Twins had a seven-fold greater risk of dying than singletons. Babies born to mothers under 15 years had a four-fold greater risk of dying than those of mothers 25-29 years. The neonatal mortality rate for Jamaica is high, with room for improvement, particularly in the prevention of perinatal asphyxia.
The effect of breast feeding on nutritional state, morbidity, and child survival was examined prospectively in a community in rural Bangladesh. Every month for six months health workers inquired about breast feeding and illness and measured arm circumference in an average of 4612 children aged 12-36 months. Data from children who died within one month of a visit were compared with those from children who survived. Roughly one third of the deaths in the age range 18-36 months were attributable to absence of breast feeding. Within this age range protection conferred by breast feeding was independent of age but was evident only in severely malnourished children. In communities with a high prevalence of malnutrition breast feeding may substantially enhance child survival up to 3 years of age.
Data derived from the Encuesta Nacional de Fecundidad y Salud (ENFES) confirm that overall levels of infant mortality in Mexico have been steadily declining. However, a more specific analysis furnishes evidence that this decline has occurred at varying rates within different social groups, reflecting an increase in social inequalities. The analytical strategy used in this article leads to three basic conclusions: (1) the impact of the economic crisis on infant mortality is reflected not in a reversal of the declining trend but an increase in social inequalities; (2) certain variables universally accepted as determinants of infant mortality, such as mother's education, seem nonsignificant for some social sectors; and (3) certain biodemographic characteristics assumed to have a uniform mortality-related behavior vary among sectors, suggesting that even these constants are determined by social factors.
An anthropometric survey of children aged 0-59 months in north-west Uganda in February-March 1987 indicated a high prevalence of stunting but little wasting. Use of unprotected water supplies in the dry season, prolonged breast-feeding, and age negatively affected nutrition; in contrast, parental education level improved nutrition. Mortality during the 12 months following the survey was higher among those who had low weight-for-age and weight-for-height, but children who had low height-for-age did not have higher mortality. Weight-for-age was the most sensitive predictor of mortality at specificities > 88%, while at lower specificity levels weight-for-height was the most sensitive. Children whose fathers' work was associated with the distillation of alcohol had a higher risk of mortality than other children. The lowest mortality was among children whose fathers were businessmen or who grew tobacco.
The evidence is provided of a close relationship between the features of women's reproductive behaviour, their health status and the health of their children: the lack of rational planning child-birth results in increasing maternal and infant mortality rates, prematurity, birth of unwanted children. The use of abortions as one of the basic means of birth control produces a negative effect, i.e. they are a frequent cause of sterility, gynaecological diseases, complicated future pregnancies and deliveries. There is a description of the priority tasks and conditions for the effective introduction of family planning into the everyday life--the necessity of taking into account sociopsychological, regional aspects of birth control within a family, demographic situation at the local level; identification of women populations which are in need of family planning activities.
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