Lowering child mortality in poor countries

the power of knowledgeable parents

Lowering child mortality in poor countries
Peter Boone, Peter Boone
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Last edited by MARC Bot
December 17, 2020 | History

Lowering child mortality in poor countries

the power of knowledgeable parents

Why do over 20% of children die in some poor countries, while in others only 2% die? We examine this question using survey data covering 278,000 children in 45 low-income countries. We find that parents' education and a mother's propensity to seek out modern healthcare are empirically important when explaining child survival, while the prevalence of common diseases, along with infrastructure such as improved water and sanitation, are not. Using a GINI coefficient we construct for treatment services, we find that public and private health systems are "equally unequal", that is, both tend to favor children in relatively well-off households, and neither appears superior at improving outcomes in very poor communities. These facts contrast with a common view that a much-expanded public health sector is necessary to reduce child mortality. Instead, we believe the empirical evidence points to the essential role of parents as advocates for their child's health. If we can provide better health knowledge and general education to parents, a private healthcare sector can arise to meet demand. We provide evidence that this alternative route to low mortality is indeed a reason behind the current success of many countries with low child mortality, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Egypt, and the Indian state of Kerala. Finally, we calculate a realistic package of interventions that target education, health knowledge and treatment seeking could reduce child mortality by 32%.

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Cover of: Lowering child mortality in poor countries
Lowering child mortality in poor countries: the power of knowledgeable parents
2006, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science
electronic resource : in English

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Edition Notes

Title from PDF file (viewed on Jan. 4, 2007).

"October 2006."

Includes bibliographical references.

Also available in print.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Published in
London
Series
CEP discussion paper -- no. 751

Classifications

Library of Congress
HC10

The Physical Object

Format
[electronic resource] :

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL31760597M
LCCN
2006623396

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