Determinants of Infant Mortality in Rural Nepal

Infant Mortality in Nepal is among the highest in the world. Since the 1950s a number of studies have examined the causes of infant mortality in Nepal. This study attempts to identify the causes of infant mortality using a comprehensive approach. In other words, this study incorporates biological, socio-economic, behavioral, psychological, environmental, and health care factors to provide a thorough understanding of the underlying causes of infant mortality.

Data for the study was collected in the Fall of 1987 and were based on interviews with 621 mothers who gave birth between April 15,1984 and April 14,1986 in twenty-six randomly selected villages in Deokhari Valley, Western Nepal.

The results indicate that biological factors are the intermediate or proximate variables through which all other variables operate to affect infant mortality. The study concludes by stressing the need for a comprehensive approach in health care services that emphasize both the curative as well as preventive aspects.