Determinants of infant mortality in a backward region of North India: are socio-economic or demographic factors dominant?

Abstract

Several socio-economic factors have been found to be associated with infant and childhood mortality in the developing countries. However, the relative importance of socio-economic and demographic factors in influencing infant mortality, varies with the level of socio-economic development of the nation. Some studies have observed that in a traditional society, demographic factors affect infant mortality more than the socio-economic factors. In the early stages of development, demographic factors are replaced by socio-economic factors, and in the later stages the effect of demographic factors becomes very small. This paper will explore this hypothesis in a backward region of India (Mewat region of Haryana State), with a view to contributing to a better understanding of the relative importance of socio-economic and demographic factors on infant mortality. The data employed in this study were obtained by conducting a field survey between April 1996 and February 1997 of factors affecting infant and child survival in the Nuh and Taoru blocks of the Mewat region of Haryana State. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyse the relative effects of demographic and the socio-economic factors. Finally, some policy implications of the findings are suggested. Show more