Determinants of child mortality risk in Kazakhstan

Pena-Boquete, Yolanda and Samambayeva, Aizhan and Zhumakanova, Aigerim and Makhmejanov, Galym (2019): Determinants of child mortality risk in Kazakhstan.

Abstract

Child mortality rate is one of the key indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations. In the last two decades, this indicator became 6 times smaller during 1990 to 2017 (from 54.1 deaths/1,000 live births to 8.9) in Kazakhstan. This decrease in child mortality rate have been much faster in Kazakhstan than in other countries of Central Asia, so it would be useful to understand the reasons why. Thus, the aim of the paper is to analyze the socio-economic determinants of child mortality in Kazakhstan in order to shed light on the factors behind its huge reduction. In order to estimate the determinants of child mortality we run a logit model based on Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) database provided by UNICEF for Kazakhstan in 2006, 2010-2011, 2015. Results show that household composition may be a relevant variable for explaining child mortality: head of household is a relevant variable; however maternal education doesn’t come out significant. Additionally, the access to health resources also reduce infant mortality. On the one hand, the probability that women had experienced the death of a children increases for the 2th and 3th quintile of wealth, i.e. for those who have a worse access to the health resources. On the other hand, the probability that the child dies are higher for families living the rural areas compared with urban areas (explained for the difficulties of reaching the health facilities in rural areas). Results of this paper can be used to keep the positive path in the infant mortality decrease for Kazakhstan and taken as an example for other countries in Central Asia where infant mortality is still high.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: child mortality risk, inequality, socio-economic status
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I15 - Health and Economic Development; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy ; Regulation ; Public Health

References

Arntzen, A., Magnus, P., & Bakketeig, L. S. (1993). Different effects of maternal and paternal education on early mortality in Norway. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 7(4), 376-386.

Boyle, M. H., Racine, Y., Georgiades, K., Snelling, D., Hong, S., Omariba, W., … Rao-Melacini, P. (2006). The influence of economic development level, household wealth and maternal education on child health in the developing world. Social Science and Medicine, 63(8), 2242–2254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.04.034

Breierova, L., & Duflo, E. (2004). The impact of education on fertility and child mortality: Do fathers really matter less than mothers? (No. w10513). National bureau of economic research.

Bobak, M., & Leon, D. A. (1992). Air pollution and infant mortality in the Czech Republic, 1986-88. The Lancet, 340(8826), 1010-1014.

Caldwell, J. C. (1993). Women‘s Position and Child Mortality and Morbidity in Less Developed Countries.‖ Pp 122-39 in Women‘s Position and Demographic Change, edited by N. Federici, K. O, Mason, and S. Sogner.

Chung, H., & Muntaner, C. (2006). Political and welfare state determinants of infant and child health indicators: an analysis of wealthy countries. Social science & medicine, 63(3), 829-842.

Chatterjee, M. (1990). A report on Indian women from birth to twenty. New Delhi: National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development.

Claeson, M., Bos, E. R., Mawji, T., & Pathmanathan, I. (2000). Reducing child mortality in India in the new millennium. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78, 1192-1199.

Cochrane, S. H., Leslie, J., & O'Hara, D. J. (1982). Parental education and child health: intracountry evidence. Health policy and education, 2(3-4), 213-250.

Flegg, A. T. (1982). Inequality of income, illiteracy and medical care as determinants of infant mortality in underdeveloped countries. Population studies, 36(3), 441-458.

Hanna Remes, Pekka Martikainen, Tapani Valkonen, The effects of family type on child mortality, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 21, Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 688–693, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckq159

Ware, H. (1984). Effects of maternal education, women's roles, and child care on child mortality. Population and Development Review, 10, 191-214.

Loomis, D., Castillejos, M., Gold, D. R., McDonnell, W., & Borja-Aburto, V. H. (1999). Air pollution and infant mortality in Mexico City. Epidemiology, 118-123.

MacMahon, B., Kovar, M. G., & Feldman, J. J. (1972). Infant mortality rates; socioeconomic factors, United States.

Morris SS, Carletto C, Hoddinott J, Christiaensen LJ. Validity of rapid estimates of household wealth and income for health surveys in rural Africa. J Epidemiol Community Health 2000;54:381–87.

Muldoon, K.A., Galway, L.P., Nakajima, M. et al. Health system determinants of infant, child and maternal mortality: A cross-sectional study of UN member countries. Global Health 7, 42 (2011) doi:10.1186/1744-8603-7-42

Saldiva, P. H., Lichtenfels, A. J. F. C., Paiva, P. S. O., Barone, I. A., Martins, M. A., Massad, E., ... & Bohm, G. M. (1994). Association between air pollution and mortality due to respiratory diseases in children in São Paulo, Brazil: a preliminary report. Environmental research, 65(2), 218-225.

Smith J.P. 1999. Healthy bodies and thick wallets: The dual relation between health and economic status. Journal of Economic Perspectives 13: 145–166.

Mosley W. H., Chen L. C. An analytical framework for the study of child survival in developing countries //Population and development review. – 1984. – Т. 10. – №. 0. – С. 25-45.

Maitra, P. (2004). Parental bargaining, health inputs and child mortality in India. Journal of health economics, 23(2), 259-291.

Falkingham, J. (2003). Inequality and Changes in Women’s Use of Maternal Health-care Services in Tajikistan. Studies in Family Planning, 34(1), 32–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2003.00032.x

Falkingham, J. (2005). The end of the rollercoaster? Growth, inequality and poverty in Central Asia and the caucasus. Social Policy and Administration, 39(4), 340–360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2005.00444.x

Feng, X. L., Theodoratou, E., Liu, L., Chan, K. Y., Hipgrave, D., Scherpbier, R., ... & Black, R. E. (2012). Social, economic, political and health system and program determinants of child mortality reduction in China between 1990 and 2006: a systematic analysis. Journal of global health, 2(1).

Fuse, K. (2010). Variations in attitudinal gender preferences for children across 50 less-developed countries. Demographic Research, 23, 1031-1048.

Filmer, D., & Pritchett, L. H. (2001). Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data—or tears: an application to educational enrollments in states of India. Demography, 38(1), 115-132.

Susser, M. (1994). The logic in ecological: II. The logic of design. American Journal of Public Health, 84(5), 830–835. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.84.5.830

Stifel D, Sahn D, Younger S. Inter-temporal changes in welfare: Preliminary results from nine African countries. Ithaca: Cornell University; 1999 May.

World Health Organization. (1999). The world health report: 1999: making a difference. World Health Organization..