Infant Mortality in Egypt: Exploring the Role of Prenatal Care, and Implications for Public Policy

George J. Lara, University of Texas at Austin
Thomas W. Pullum, University of Texas at Austin

This study examines the importance of prenatal care and maternal education with regard to infant death in Egypt. Birth history data from Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2000 are used to model the log odds of a child dying in the first year of life during the five-year period prior to survey. The analysis is three-fold. First, log probability models are used to arrive at accurate estimates of 1q0 and 4q1. Second, generalized linear models are used to examine the bivariate relationships between infant mortality and various determinants, including prenatal care, maternal education, birth order, sex of child, and type of place of residence. Lastly, the effects of these variables are analyzed in a multivariate context. We find that while several factors reduce the odds of infant death, it is prenatal care that maintains magnitude and significance in the multivariate analysis. Timely and important policy implications are offered.