ECONOMÍA DEL DESARROLLO
Mortality of children under five years and their risk factors associated in selected countries in Latin America
Despite significant improvements in infant and child health outcomes during the 21st century in Latin America, infant and childhood mortality rates remain unacceptably high in Bolivia. With around 58 out of every 1000 children dying before their fifth birthday and 49 out of every 1000 children die before their first birthday (UDAPE, 2013), Bolivia, like some other Latin American countries such as Haiti, is far from reaching Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) (i.e. reduce infant mortality by 2015 to two thirds of 1990 levels, 43 and 27 out of every 1,000 live births respectively). Added to this situation is the fact of the existence of important mortality gaps between regions that account for the presence of great social inequality and marginalization of the most vulnerable sectors of the population. Bolivia's infant and under-five mortality rates are among the highest in the region, just below Haiti.
These results require scientific evidence on the best way to deal with its determinants. The literature shows that knowledge about the determinants of mortality and infant and childhood at the individual level is insufficient to address the problem. This is because the characteristics of the family and community context, where a child is born or develops tend to modify the factors at the individual level and, therefore, affect child and childhood survival. However, there are gaps in the evidence on the effects of community context characteristics on child and childhood survival in Bolivia. Therefore, this study will examine the contextual determinants of infant and child mortality in Bolivia with a focus on individual, household, and community characteristics. The study will address three specific objectives: (1) to examine the levels and magnitudes of infant and child mortality in Bolivia; (2) identify factors at the individual, household, and community levels associated with infant and child mortality; and (3) determine the degree to which contextual factors may represent variations in infant and child mortality.
UPB Reseaarchers:
Pamela Cordova, PhD
Soraya Román, PhD
Contact: pcordova@upb.edu, sorayaroman@upb.edu
