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Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyze how economic crises affect child health globally and between subgroups of countries with different levels of income. Data from the World Bank and the World Health Organization were used for 127 countries between 1995 and 2014. A fixed effects model was used, evaluating the effect of the change on macroeconomic indicators (GDP per capita, unemployment and inflation rates and misery index) in neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates. Moreover, we evaluated whether there was a change in the association effect according to the income of the countries and also analyzed the role of public health expenditure in this association. Evidence has shown that worse economic indicators (lower GDP per capita, higher inflation, unemployment rates and misery index) are associated with higher child mortality rates. In the subsamples by income strata, the same association is observed, but with effects of greater magnitude for low- and middle-income countries. We also verified that a higher percentage in public health expenditures alleviates the effects of economic indicators on child mortality rates. Thus, more attention needs to be paid to the harmful effects of the macroeconomic crises to ensure improvements in child health.
Highlights
The infant mortality is an important health indicator, as it reflects the social, economic and environmental conditions under which children and members of society are living[1]
Evidence has shown that worse economic indicators are associated with higher child mortality rates
The 1% reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita was associated with an increase between 0.06 and 0.12 in the three mortality rates, i.e., neonatal, infant, and under-fives
Summary
The infant mortality is an important health indicator, as it reflects the social, economic and environmental conditions under which children and members of society are living[1]. The goal has not been met in many countries, but a 53% drop in child mortality has been achieved in this period, decreasing from 91 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births[2]. The infant mortality rate is almost two-fold higher among the poorest children compared to the richest ones[3]. Most of these deaths are preventable with simple measures such as vaccination, breastfeeding, hygiene, access to drinking water and medication[4]
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