Abstract
BackgroundIndia has achieved impressive gains in child survival over the last two decades; however, it was not successful in attaining MDG 2015 goals. The study’s objective is to inquire how the survival status of the preceding child affects the survival of the next born child.MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of data from the National Family Health Survey, 2015–16. Analysis was restricted to women with second or higher-order births because women with first-order births do not have a preceding child. Proportional hazards regression, also called the Cox regression model, has been used to carry out the analysis. Kaplan–Meier (K–M) survival curves were also generated, with a focus on preceding birth intervals.ResultsResults found that female children were more likely to experience infant mortality than their male counterparts. Children born after birth intervals of 36+ months were least likely to experience infant mortality. Mother’s education and household wealth are two strong predictors of child survival, while the place of residence and caste did not show any effect in the Cox proportional model. Infant and child deaths are highly clustered among those mothers whose earlier child is dead.ConclusionMaternal childbearing age is still low in India, and it poses a high risk of infant and child death. Education is a way out, and there is a need to focus on girl’s education. The government shall also focus on raising awareness of the importance of spacing between two successive births. There is also a need to create a better health infrastructure catering to the needs of rich and poor people alike.
Highlights
India has achieved impressive gains in child survival over the last two decades; it was not successful in attaining Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 goals
Infant deaths constitute more deaths of male children (4.98), while child mortality was higher among females (1.61)
Region-wise, the highest infant deaths were found in the central region (6.79), while a significant preponderance of child deaths was found in the central region of India (2.05)
Summary
India has achieved impressive gains in child survival over the last two decades; it was not successful in attaining MDG 2015 goals. From 65 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 29 deaths per 1000 live births in 2017, the global infant mortality rate has decreased [1]. Over the previous two decades, India has made significant advances in child survival; it failed to meet the MDG 2015 targets. In India, the U5MR has decreased by 3% each year since 1990, from 114 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 39 in 2016 [5]. IMR decreased from 81 to 34 per 1000 live births between 1990 and 2016 [5]. Some preventative strategies for child health included exclusive breastfeeding, high-quality complementary foods, correct micronutrient feeding, vitamin A and iron, sufficient handwashing, and complete vaccination [7,8,9]
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