Preceding child survival status and its effect on infant and child mortality in India: An evidence from National Family Health Survey 2015–16

Abstract

Background India has achieved impressive gains in child survival over the last two decades; however, it was not successful in attaining MDG 2015 goals. The study’s objective is to inquire how the survival status of the preceding child affects the survival of the next born child. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of data from the National Family Health Survey, 2015–16. Analysis was restricted to women with second or higher-order births because women with first-order births do not have a preceding child. Proportional hazards regression, also called the Cox regression model, has been used to carry out the analysis. Kaplan–Meier (K–M) survival curves were also generated, with a focus on preceding birth intervals. Results Results found that female children were more likely to experience infant mortality than their male counterparts. Children born after birth intervals of 36+ months were least likely to experience infant mortality. Mother’s education and household wealth are two strong predictors of child survival, while the place of residence and caste did not show any effect in the Cox proportional model. Infant and child deaths are highly clustered among those mothers whose earlier child is dead. Conclusion Maternal childbearing age is still low in India, and it poses a high risk of infant and child death. Education is a way out, and there is a need to focus on girl’s education. The government shall also focus on raising awareness of the importance of spacing between two successive births. There is also a need to create a better health infrastructure catering to the needs of rich and poor people alike.

Clustering of child deaths among families in low and middle‐income countries: A meta‐analysis

“…Nine studies identified parents' educational status (either father's or mother's education or both) as an essential factor for calculating the risk of death of a child in families 4,9,12,13,16,27,28,34,46 . A total of 17 studies considered household religion, caste, and income as essential family‐level factors for studying death clustering 2,3,9–11,13,16,29,31–33,35–37,39,43–45 …”

“…Zaba and David argued that ‘clustering’ of deaths is due to systematic parity effects that expose children to fatalities 44 . The death of a previous child was found to be associated with the mortality risk of the index child in 11 studies 7,8,10–12,15,16,24,33,36,45 . According to a few studies conducted in India (including in Punjab 4,5 and Odisha 45 ), Mali, 46 Guatemala, 11,12 Brazil, 6,13 Bangladesh, 7,24,34–36 Senegal, 8 Nigeria, 3 and Kenya, 3,15,16,38 survival chances are more or less similar between children born into the same family and those born into different families.…”

Cultural beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of lactating mothers on exclusive breastfeeding in The Gambia: an ethnographic study

“…When exclusive breastfeeding is done in the first six months of life, it reduces infant morbidity and mortality [2]. Its effects on child survival, growth, and maternal health are well-documented [2,3]. The natural and ideal way of feeding infants provides babies all the energy and nutrients they need for the first six months of their lives [1].…”

“…Globally, exclusive breastfeeding is promoted as the 'best newborn feeding approach' [1]. Increasing scientific data shows that exclusive breastfeeding improves baby survival [3,[7][8][9][10]. It's one of the most effective ways to minimize newborn morbidity and death in resource-limited contexts, where improper nursing techniques induce child malnutrition, a primary cause of infant mortality [1].…”

Infant Death Clustering in the Quarter of a Century in India: A Decomposition Analysis

“…Many studies viewed death clustering as being a greater heterogeneity in the distribution of child deaths across families than would be expected if the deaths were distributed randomly [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In addition to the above definitions, death clustering has been viewed as what is left unexplained after the observed correlates are controlled, and it is thus attributed to unobserved or unobservable genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors related to mortality [ 5 , 6 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”