Infant and Child Mortality: Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Eastern Europe will cover Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, the Baltic States, and Western CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States—formerly the Soviet Union). At the beginning of the twentieth century, infant and child mortality was high in Eastern Europe as compared with Western Europe. Inequalities among countries of the region were attenuated during the socialist era. However, despite the egalitarian ideology and free health care, social inequalities (related to legitimacy, education of mothers, and differences between urban and rural areas) in infant and child mortality were observed. Among these countries currently experiencing economic transition and social stratification, the differences in infant and child mortality have deepened. The increasing infant and child mortality and morbidity rates that have been observed in a majority of these countries are associated with drops in economic performance and a weakening of the public child protection and family support systems. Changes in demographic and intermediate variables are having a negative impact on infant and child health. The share of births to unmarried mothers has increased. An upward trend in the frequency of low birth-weight babies, in abortion and divorce rates, and in mortality from infectious diseases related to poverty has been reported. With a 1998 infant mortality rate of 5.2 per 1,000, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are the closest to Western European standards.