Diversity in Child Mortality and Life Expectancy at Birth Among Major Tribes in Selected States of India

Abstract

To provide tribe- specific child mortality rates and health indicators from selected states in India. We used Census 2011 data and Coale Demney methodology to estimate the infant mortality rate (IMR), under-five mortality rate (U5MR) and expectation of life at birth (LEB) for 123 tribes of selected states of India. The estimated IMR and U5MR were higher in scheduled tribe population compared to respective state's total population. The IMR varied from 124 in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and the Bharias of Madhya Pradesh to 48 per 1000 live births in the Gamit tribe of Maharashtra. Similarly, the U5MR varied from the highest (203) in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh to the lowest (57/1000 live births) in the Gamit tribe. The LEB varied from 72 years in the Gamit tribe of Maharashtra to 51 years in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh. The study reveals that tribes have gross variation in child mortality rates and there is pressing need to prioritize tribe-specific action plans to improve their health indicators.