The effects of breastfeeding and birth spacing on child survival in China
Tu, P.
Studies in Family Planning 20(6 Pt 1): 332-342
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 2623728 DOI: 10.2307/1966436Document Number: 201385
The fact that breast feeding provides protection against malnutrition and infectious diseases which affect child survival is especially important in rural China where access to modern medical facilities is limited. Using data from the In-depth Fertility Survey conducted in Shanghai Municipality and Shaanxi, where a high proportion of the population live in rural areas, the study shows that breast feeding and birth spacing have significant effects on child survival in Shaanxi, but not in Shanghai. The effect of breast feeding decreases with age. Introducing proper supplemental food is very important for child survival in Shaanxi, where a high proportion of children are breast fed exclusively for much too long, sometimes up to 9 months. An increase in the length of the previous birth interval improves child survival in Shaanxi significantly, especially for high-order children, and the first child has the highest survivorship in both Shanghai and Shaanxi. The effects of subsequent birth intervals are statistically significant in Shaanxi, but have a small actual impact on child survival in the first few years of life, since the arrival of a sibling does not affect the index child's risk of dying in the first few months of life, when the mortality rate is extremely high.