Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Minja K. Choe, PhD and Jiajian Chen, PhD. East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848-1601, 808-944-7475, mchoe@hawaii.edu

In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals which include reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds (MDG-4) and reducing maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015 (MDG-5). According to the assessment made in 2003, India is classified as progressing slowly (not likely to meet the goal) in the reduction of under-five mortality and regressing in the reduction of maternal mortality.

However, 12 out of 17 major states with data, including some poor states, show declines in under-five mortality in recent years that exceed the level required to achieve the MDG goal. Our analysis shows that early childhood mortality can be reduced substantially in India, beyond the level necessary to meet the MDG-4 goal through increased utilization of reproductive and child health programs even when poverty, women's education, and community level sanitary conditions do not change. For example, reduction of early child bearing, short birth intervals, and high-order births from the current national level to the level observed in Kerala state would reduce early child mortality by 11 per cent. Increasing antenatal tetanus vaccination and child immunizations to the level observed in Kerala would reduce early child mortality by 18 per cent. The combination of these changes would result in 24 per cent reduction in early child mortality.

Under-five mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio are highly correlated, and they share common set of determinants. Thus, the intervention programs that would bring about reduction in under-five mortality rate are likely to reduce maternal mortality ratio as well.

Learning Objectives:

• Major determinants of child mortality in a developing country; potential for reducing child mortality through reproductive intervention programs in a developing country setting.

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Intervention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered