[Child mortality in Nepal: an analysis of its socioeconomic determinants and a comparison with other developing countries].

Abstract

The author studies child mortality in Nepal in this section of a large comparative project involving 15 developing countries. "Employing a method suggested by Trussell and Preston (1982) a child mortality index is computed for every woman by relating actual number of child deaths to the expected number of child deaths implied by marital duration, fertility, and the national mortality level. Based on the Nepal Fertility Survey of 1976 bi-, tri-, and multivariate analysis showed significant child mortality differentials according to mothers' and fathers' education, religion, and ecological region. The population of Nepal is still extremely homogeneous in that 96% of all ever-married women aged 15-49 can neither read or write, 95% live in rural areas, and 90% are Hindus. For women deviating from this pattern child mortality is in most cases substantially lower." (SUMMARY IN ENG)