Campus Report :
The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) of IUBAT- International University of Business Agriculture and Technology organized a launching ceremony of the 12th Research Monograph on Under-Five Mortality: Comparing National Levels and Changes over the Last Decade in South Asia and other Low-income Countries at the VIP Lounge of National Press Club recently. Prof Dr John Richards, Member of International Advisory Council of IUBAT and Prof of Simon Fraser University introduced the monograph. Prof Dr M Alimullah Miyan, Founder and Vice-Chancellor of IUBAT University presided over the launching ceremony.
This new study assesses the key factors explaining changes in under-five mortality among 69 developing countries since the beginning of the UN Millennium Development Goals program in 2000. Reducing child mortality ranks fourth among the goals proposed by the UN. Worldwide, child mortality has declined by half from 90 deaths per 1000 children in 1990. This is an impressive achievement.
Where does Bangladesh stand?
In the early years of the last decade (between 2000 and 2003), 81 of 1000 Bangladeshi children died before age five. In recent years (between 2010 and 2013) this rate has declined to 45, which places Bangladesh ahead of India, at 56 deaths, and Pakistan at 89 deaths per 1000 children. By far the lowest rate among all developing countries, whether in South Asia or not, is Sri Lanka. Only 10 of 1000 children in Sri Lanka die before age five.
In explaining the change in child mortality over the last decade three factors stand out: the increase in child immunization rates, the widespread use of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets in malaria-prone countries, and the decline in percentage of “very poor” living on less than $1.25 per day.
In explaining which countries have achieved the lowest levels of child mortality, what seems to be important is achieving superior performance on several institutions. Some of these institutions are straightforward, such as public health programs to assure universal child vaccinations. Bangladesh has an outstanding record for immunizing children. Other institutions, such as water and sanitation, are important to lower intestinal infections, a major cause of child deaths. They are hard to organize well. Here, Bangladesh is not outstanding, but is well above average.
Families with large number of children are often poor, and suffer high child mortality. Bangladesh has an admirable record of family planning, engaging government, civil and religious organizations. The average number of children per woman is now very close to the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman and below the rate in all but a few developing countries.
However, there are other institutions relevant to child health where Bangladesh needs improvement.
Countries with low literacy – especially low female literacy -suffer high child mortality. Why this is so is complex, but it is true across the world: mothers who can read and write have healthier children. In all South Asian countries (except Sri Lanka) female literacy is below the developing country average. In Bangladesh only 55 percent of women are literate.
Organizing social services to provide income to the handicapped and, where feasible, reasonable employment to those who can work is a complex and difficult task. “Very poor” families where members are living on less than $1.25 per day are unlikely to have good nutrition. This in turn leads to child wasting, stunting and high mortality. Bangladesh’s population living below $1.25 per day is now about 47 percent. This percentage declined over the decade but is still above the developing country average.
The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) of IUBAT- International University of Business Agriculture and Technology organized a launching ceremony of the 12th Research Monograph on Under-Five Mortality: Comparing National Levels and Changes over the Last Decade in South Asia and other Low-income Countries at the VIP Lounge of National Press Club recently. Prof Dr John Richards, Member of International Advisory Council of IUBAT and Prof of Simon Fraser University introduced the monograph. Prof Dr M Alimullah Miyan, Founder and Vice-Chancellor of IUBAT University presided over the launching ceremony.
This new study assesses the key factors explaining changes in under-five mortality among 69 developing countries since the beginning of the UN Millennium Development Goals program in 2000. Reducing child mortality ranks fourth among the goals proposed by the UN. Worldwide, child mortality has declined by half from 90 deaths per 1000 children in 1990. This is an impressive achievement.
Where does Bangladesh stand?
In the early years of the last decade (between 2000 and 2003), 81 of 1000 Bangladeshi children died before age five. In recent years (between 2010 and 2013) this rate has declined to 45, which places Bangladesh ahead of India, at 56 deaths, and Pakistan at 89 deaths per 1000 children. By far the lowest rate among all developing countries, whether in South Asia or not, is Sri Lanka. Only 10 of 1000 children in Sri Lanka die before age five.
In explaining the change in child mortality over the last decade three factors stand out: the increase in child immunization rates, the widespread use of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets in malaria-prone countries, and the decline in percentage of “very poor” living on less than $1.25 per day.
In explaining which countries have achieved the lowest levels of child mortality, what seems to be important is achieving superior performance on several institutions. Some of these institutions are straightforward, such as public health programs to assure universal child vaccinations. Bangladesh has an outstanding record for immunizing children. Other institutions, such as water and sanitation, are important to lower intestinal infections, a major cause of child deaths. They are hard to organize well. Here, Bangladesh is not outstanding, but is well above average.
Families with large number of children are often poor, and suffer high child mortality. Bangladesh has an admirable record of family planning, engaging government, civil and religious organizations. The average number of children per woman is now very close to the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman and below the rate in all but a few developing countries.
However, there are other institutions relevant to child health where Bangladesh needs improvement.
Countries with low literacy – especially low female literacy -suffer high child mortality. Why this is so is complex, but it is true across the world: mothers who can read and write have healthier children. In all South Asian countries (except Sri Lanka) female literacy is below the developing country average. In Bangladesh only 55 percent of women are literate.
Organizing social services to provide income to the handicapped and, where feasible, reasonable employment to those who can work is a complex and difficult task. “Very poor” families where members are living on less than $1.25 per day are unlikely to have good nutrition. This in turn leads to child wasting, stunting and high mortality. Bangladesh’s population living below $1.25 per day is now about 47 percent. This percentage declined over the decade but is still above the developing country average.
