Attaining the Millennium Development Goal for Child Health by Selected Indian States

Hafizur Rahman, Johns Hopkins University
G. N. V. Ramana
Eduard Bos

Though declining, infant mortality is still very high in India, and under 5 mortality is one of the highest among neighboring countries. The objectives of this study are to project the number of infant deaths need to be averted to reach the Millennium Development Goal, and to understand the association of infant and child mortality with critical proximate and distal determinants in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Data from Registrar General of India and National Family Health Surveys are used. We estimate infant deaths ranging from 0.63 million in Tamil Nadu to 2.3 million in Bihar, need to be averted. Survival analysis results show a strong association of parity, birth spacing, women’s education and household wealth with neonatal, infant and child mortality in majority of the states. Physical access to health facilities does not have much influence on reducing neonatal, infant and child mortality.