Page 32 - IJPS-2-2

International Journal of Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Infant mortality differentials among the tribal and

non-tribal populations of Central and Eastern India

1
1*
2
1
Mukesh Ranjan , Laxmi Kant Dwivedi , Rahul Mishra and Brajesh
1 International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai-400088, India.
2 Department of Mathematical Demography & Statistics, International Institute for Population Sciences,
Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai-400088, India.
Abstract: Higher infant mortality among tribal populations in India is well-documented. However, it is
rare to compare factors associated with infant mortality in tribal populations with those in non-tribal pop-
ulations. In the present paper, Cox proportional hazards models were employed to examine factors in-
fluencing infant mortality in tribal and non-tribal populations in the Central and Eastern Indian states us-
ing data from the District Level Household Survey-III in 2007-2008. Characteristics of mothers, infants,
and households/communities plus a program variable reflecting the place of pregnancy registration were
included in the analyses. We found that the gap in infant mortality between tribal and non-tribal popula-
tions was substantial in the early months after birth, narrowed between the fourth and eighth months, and
enlarged mildly afterwards. Cox regression models show that while some factors were similarly asso-
ciated with infant mortality in tribes and non-tribes, distinctive differences between tribal and non-tribal
populations were striking. Sex of infants, breastfeeding with colostrum, and age of mother at birth acted
similarly between tribes and non-tribes, yet factors such as state of residence, wealth, religion, place of
residence, mother’s education, and birth order behaved differently. The program factor was non-sign-
ificant in both tribal and non-tribal populations.
Keywords: infant mortality, scheduled tribes, non-tribes, Central and Eastern India, DLHS-III, Cox ha-
zards model

*Correspondence to: Mukesh Ranjan, Department of Mathematical Demography and Statistics, International Institute for
Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai-400088, India; Email: mukeshranjan311984@gmail.com

Received: April 4, 2016; Accepted: May 25, 2016; Published Online: June 2, 2016
Citation: Ranjan M, Dwivedi L K, Mishra R, et al. (2016). Infant mortality differentials among the tribal and
non-tribal populations of Central and Eastern India. International Journal of Population Studies, vol.2(2): 26–43.
http://dx.doi.org/10.18063/IJPS.2016.02.004.
1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2016 Mukesh
1.1 Literature Review Ranjan, Laxmikant Dwivedi,
Rahul Mishra, et al. This is
Infant mortality is an important domain of community health care and is considered as one of the an Open Access article dis-
most important indicators of socio-economic development (Stockwell, Swanson, and Wicks, 1988). tributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution--
It also explains the social and political milieu. Frequently, infant mortality is used to compare health NonCommercial 4.0 Interna-
status at the country or social class levels (Bicego and Boerma, 1993; Subramanian, Nandy, and Irv- tional License (http://creativ-
ecommons.org/ licenses/by-
ing, 2006). In India, social class has been considered as a proxy for socio-economic status and po- nc/4.0/), permitting all non-
verty, and it has a substantial impact on infant health and mortality. One of the social classes in India, commercial use, distribution,
scheduled tribe (ST), has been an integral part of the country’s population for a long time. A majority and reproduction in any me-
dium, provided the original
of the ST population lives in the North-Eastern, Central, and Eastern parts of the country. According work is properly cited.

26 International Journal of Population Studies | 2016, Volume 2, Issue 2