Suchergebnisse

Examines 4 ethnic classification schemes for Anglos, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Indians. Comparisons reveal current methods of assigning ethnic codes relies on biological and paternal rather than social and maternal characteristics and that different classifications of ethnicity can produce different infant mortality rates and ranks. (Abstract amended)

This article updates our earlier finding that democracies outperformed
dictatorships in 1950-90 by achieving lower infant mortality rates at
every level of development. Now we show that this holds even post-Cold
War and after the latest wave of democratization. Using 1990-97 data, we
again find that democracies outdo dictatorships, though the difference
is somewhat smaller now. One key finding is relevant to policymakers:
foreign direct investment and aid both significantly reduce IMRs in
democracies, but not in dictatorships. Giving money to dictatorships,
whether in the form of aid or investment, makes either no difference or
even hurts children born there.

SummaryIn order to determine the validity of infant mortality estimates based on retrospective reporting, the Honduran Ministry of Health carried out a follow-up survey of women interviewed in a 1987 national survey. Women were interviewed approximately 14 months after the baseline survey and were asked about the outcomes of their pregnancies and the survival status of their young children. The overall infant mortality rate calculated from the follow-up survey was lower than that obtained from the baseline survey, due to the particularly low rate among the group of women who were pregnant at the time of the baseline survey. Possible explanations for this low rate are discussed.

The author explores the effects if initiation of breastfeeding, timing of breastmilk supplementation, and weaning practices on infant and child mortality in Bangladesh. She shows that infants breastfed at birth have better probabilities of survival relative to those who are never breastfed or are given liquid supplements very early in life. (DÜI-Sen)

States can improve pregnancy outcomes by using a standard approach to assess infant mortality. The State Infant Mortality Collaborative (SIMC) developed a series of analyses to describe infant mortality in states, identify contributing factors to infant death, and develop the evidence base for implementing new or modifying existing programs and policies addressing infant mortality. The SIMC was conducted between 2004 and 2006 among five states: Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, and North Carolina. States used analytic strategies in an iterative process to investigate contributors to infant mortality. Analyses were conducted within three domains: data reporting (quality, reporting, definitional criteria, and timeliness), cause and timing of infant death (classification of cause and fetal, neonatal, and postneonatal timing), and maturity and weight at birth/maturity and birth weight-specific mortality. All states identified the SIMC analyses as useful for examining infant mortality trends. In each of the three domains, SIMC results were used to identify important direct contributors to infant mortality including disparities, design or implement interventions to reduce infant death, and identify foci for additional analyses. While each state has unique structural, political, and programmatic circumstances, the SIMC model provides a systematic approach to investigating increasing or static infant mortality rates that can be easily replicated in all other states and allows for cross-state comparison of results.

SummaryThe effects of birth spacing on neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in Brazil were found to be very consistent with models based on data from other South American countries. The model for neonatal mortality simplified to three significant variables, whereas the model for post-neonatal mortality included four significant interactions.