Urbanization, development and under-five mortality differentials by place of residence in São Paulo, Brazil, 1970-1991

Abstract

In this paper, I examine differentials in under-five mortality by place of residence for the state of São Paulo, Brazil. I examine differentials between urban and rural areas, and by location within urban areas, over a 21-year period between 1970 and 1991. I also investigate economic inequalities in under-five mortality for urban areas. For São Paulo, much of the entire infant and child mortality transition unfolded during the period 1970-1991. I investigate whether these improvements in mortality were accompanied by narrowing differentials by place of residence and declining economic inequalities in mortality. I draw on microdata from Brazilian censuses conducted in 1970, 1980, and 1991.

The Influence of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant Mortality in Southern Africa

“…However, despite the consistent relationship that has been observed between the type of place of residence and child mortality from several studies, it could also be expected that children from urban areas with disadvantaged backgrounds can experience high mortality and be more prone to infectious diseases due to increased urban poverty brought about by the week effect of urbanization (Amouzou and Hill, 2004;Buwembo, 2010). This is further supported by a study done by Sastry (2004) in Sao Paulo in Brazil where there was a relatively narrow gap between rural-urban differentials and intra-urban differentials. According to Sastry (2004), rapid urbanization which contributed to poor living conditions in metro Sao Paulo, particularly, its periphery accounted for most of the under-five mortality rate even though disadvantaged rural children continued to also exhibit higher mortality than urban children.…”

“…This is further supported by a study done by Sastry (2004) in Sao Paulo in Brazil where there was a relatively narrow gap between rural-urban differentials and intra-urban differentials. According to Sastry (2004), rapid urbanization which contributed to poor living conditions in metro Sao Paulo, particularly, its periphery accounted for most of the under-five mortality rate even though disadvantaged rural children continued to also exhibit higher mortality than urban children.…”

Adult Mortality Differentials and Regional Development at the local level in Brazil, 1980-2010

“…In the case of Brasil and other LAC countries, there is a large body of literature on infant and child mortality as compared to adult mortality. In addition, the knowledge of regional differential infant mortality in Brazil is much broader than the adult or overall mortality (Sousa, Hill and Dal Poz, 2010;Aquino, Oliveira and Barreto, 2009;Sabindran, Khan and Timmins, 2008Sastry, 2004a, 2004b. Regardless of this, studies that sought to obtain adult mortality and life expectancy at birth estimates for Brazilian municipalities (Horta, et.al, 1998) usually are based on model life tables, constructed from the infant mortality information, rather than trying to produce adult mortality estimates by using the available information, or by analyzing in detail the quality of the data and the evolution of mortality in the region.…”

Urban–rural differentials in Latin American infant mortality

“…The concentrated and controlled pattern of industrial growth turned Brazilian cities into centres of wealth and poverty at the same time (Oya-Sawyer et al 1987). What is more, during the 1970sjust before the period of analysishealth services in urban areas were severely overwhelmed (Sastry 2004). All these aspects had a negative effect on declining urban infant mortality in the largest Brazilian cities, and they delayed progress compared with other urban areas in Latin America during the same period.…”

“…What is more, good housing, high incomes, and higher education have historically been more accessible to urban than to rural populations. Even though decreasing infant mortality in Latin America is a well-studied topic, there are hardly any updated studies of long-term trends in the urban-rural differential (Sastry 2004). There is also a dearth of studies that examine whether the previous urban advantage continues in recent decades, considering the problems derived from uncontrolled urbanization and the increasing social inequalities within the urban space (UN-Habitat 2012).…”