Accounting for Regional Differences in Mother and Child Health : Bangladesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand
Using recent Demographic Health Survey data for Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, this paper reexamines the determinants of child wasting and maternal anemia. The findings bear out the importance of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/825161553796198653/Accounting-for-Regional-Differences-in-Mother-and-Child-Health-Bangladesh-West-Bengal-Bihar-and-Jharkhand http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31493 |
| Summary: | Using recent Demographic Health Survey
data for Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of
Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, this paper reexamines the
determinants of child wasting and maternal anemia. The
findings bear out the importance of commonly cited factors,
such as mother’s education and age, household wealth, and
child birth order. However, the findings also highlight
significant and large regional differences between Indian
states and Bangladeshi provinces. For example, the results
for Jharkhand state in India and Barisal province in
Bangladesh indicate that controlling for those commonly
cited determinants, the poorest, least-educated mothers and
their children in Barisal have better health outcomes than
the wealthiest, best-educated counterparts in Jharkhand.
Mapping analysis of the spatial variations in child wasting
and maternal anemia shows clear patterns of clustering over
large areas that frequently overlap state/province and
national boundaries. Possible sources of these striking
differences include spatially differentiated prices and
availability of critical nutrients; dietary preferences
related to religion and ethnicity; nutrition education; and
administration of public health and nutrition policy. |
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