Infant Mortality in Bangladesh: An Analysis of Causes During Early Neonatal, Late Neonatal and Postnatal Periods

Authors

  • Sayema Sharmin
  • Wasimul Bari
  • Shamal Chandra Karmaker

Abstract

Although the overall mortality has shown a little decline over the past few years in Bangladesh, infant mortality, particularly during the
neonatal period is still high. Employing the 2004 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data, the present study made an
attempt to detect the risk factors associated with child death at the various levels of infancy. Kaplan-Meier (P-L) method and Cox
Proportional Hazards model were utilized for this purpose. Among the covariates studied, health care and delivery complication related
variables were found to be significantly related to child death, particularly to those dying during the early days of life. It is argued in the
present study that if the pregnant women are encouraged to take more antenatal care, it may help them to identify any complication which
they might face during delivery and can be taken to the hospital immediately in the case of any emergency. This might help reducing a
significant number of child deaths during infancy particularly those occurring during the early neonatal period.

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