Proximate determinants model of infant survival for the Philippines for 2003 and 2008

Abstract

On a global average, The number of infants who are unable to reach their first year of birth birthday is declining across countries, on the average notwithstanding that some countries experience a lag in their respective aimed outcome level. The Philippines is one example of such a country to have that has been unable to achieve its Millennium Development Goal. The focus of this study is to test factors that influence infant mortality in the Philippines, particularly on demographic and health behaviours, in the Philippines with the inclusion of socio-cultural facets regarding attitude on household violence, intention of pregnancy, and household decision-making capacity among others as these remain to be studied. These attitudinal and behavioural factors bear consequence on impact the survival of children according to literature ofresearch of other societies. The analysis, using the 2003 and 2008 National Demographic and Health Surveys, employs binary logistic regression of parameter estimates toward the outcome of infant survival. Dual model specificationss are analysed for samples of each period covered for two surveys: one model includes socioeconomic determinants and the other model retains that and additionally contains of proximate determinants, i.e. where health-related factors are present. This is approach allows the comparison of the relative impact of each set of determinants on the outcome. Results show that analysing with socioeconomic determinants and subsequently adding proximate determinants indicate that the effect of the former have less impact leading to the contention that infant mortality is better predicted when a multitude of factors are considered. It is exemplified as well that there are educational gradients relating to certain behaviours, such as breastfeeding practise, exposure to infection, and completion of immunisation. Infants whose mothers have no education and are from a low socioeconomic status experience more infant deaths than those from the other extreme of the said characteristics. Furthermore, the counterintuitive result where infants borne from intentional pregnancies and infants of mothers who do not justify intimate partner violence suggest higher likelihood of death. These annotations may then be utilised toward creating policies that are better targeted to achieve the desired outcomes of improved infant and population health.