The Effects of “Color” in Individual and Family Levels on Child Mortality in São Paulo, Brazil

Kuniko Chijiwa, University of Florida

This research examines racial inequality in child mortality in São Paulo, Brazil, using three Brazilian censuses. Particularly, how race corresponds to SES and family/household characteristics in differential temporal context. While the relative importance of variables in their effect on child survival has been recognized, there remains racial variation unexplained by those variables. An important piece of puzzle may be family/household structure as a variable of social support. The analysis uses zero-inflated negative binomial regression in examining the changes of mothers’ socioeconomic and family/household characteristics in racial context and child mortality over-time. Asian population is included in the ‘typical’ comparison of white versus Afro-Brazilian dichotomy. Research showing Asians’ lower child mortality and longer life expectancy suggests that to improve our understanding of what the comparatively advantageous components among Asian households are relative to other racial groups may offer provisions for improving the standard-of-living and other dimensions of social inequality in Brazil.