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EFFECTS OF INFANT FEEDING PRACTICES AND BIRTH SPACING ON INFANT AND CHILD SURVIVAL: A REASSESSMENT FROM RETROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE DATA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2001

BARTHELEMY KUATE DEFO
Affiliation:
Département de Démographie and Groupe de Recherche sur les Aspects Sociaux de la Samté et de la Prévention, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada

Abstract

Retrospective and prospective data collected in Cameroon were used to reassess hypotheses about how infant and early childhood mortality is affected by birth spacing and breast-feeding. These data show that: (a) a short preceding birth interval is detrimental for child survival in the first 4 months of life; (b) full and partial breast-feeding have direct protective effects on child survival in the first 4-6 months of life, with the effects of the former stronger than those of the latter; (c) early subsequent conception significantly increases mortality risks in the first 16 months of life of the index child. These findings are robust to various controls, e.g. study design, data defects, child's health conditions at/around birth, postnatal maternal and child recurrent illnesses, patterns of utilisation of health care services, and immunisation status of the child.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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