Impact of Socio- demographic Factors on Child Mortality in Bangladesh: An Multivariate Approach

摘要

Child is the asset of a country. Child mortality is a powerful indicator to determine overall health situation in a country. It is one of the most important issues in developing countries. In Bangladesh, it is related to various social, demographic and environmental factors. Moreover, child mortality is linked to fertility. The main purpose of this study is to determine the factors related to child mortality in Bangladesh. In this study, data is used from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007. In this paper, percentage distribution and logistic regression model have been used to determine which factors affect child mortality. It is indicated that mother’s education, wealth index, breastfeeding status, birth order, preceding birth interval and watch TV have effect on child mortality. The logistic model reveals that the mortality risk is 0.681 times lower for preceding birth interval 24 months and above than the preceding birth interval below 24 months. The risk of child mortality is 1.43 times higher for birth order 2-3 and 1.633 times higher for birth order 4+ as compared with single birth order. The risk of child mortality is found 0.958 times and 0.941 times lower for the children whose father’s having secondary and higher education as compared to the children of father’s having primary education. As compared with illiterate mothers the risk of mortality is 0.584 times, 0.341 times and 0.165 times lower for mothers who have had primary, secondary and higher education respectively. The risk of child mortality is found 0.958 times and 0.941 times lower for the children whose father’s having secondary and higher education as compared to the children of father’s having primary education. The risk of mortality is 0.850 times less for the children whose mother watching TV regularly than the children whose mother does not watch TV. The risk child mortality was found 0.017 times lower for the children whose mother currently breastfeeding to their children as compared to the children whose mother’s were not currently breastfeeding their children. Breastfeeding plays an important role in the growth, development and survival status of infant and child. So, it is concluded that mother’s education, breastfeeding status, wealth index, watch TV and birth order should be increased for reducing child mortality in Bangladesh.