Effects of birth order and maternal age on infant and child mortality in rural Nepal.

Abstract

"The present study examines the effects of woman's age at childbirth (maternal age) and birth order on infant and child mortality in rural Nepal." Data are from the Nepal Fertility Survey of 1976, carried out as part of the World Fertility Survey. The results show that the risk of infant death is higher for extreme birth orders. "The higher risk of infant death to first order births is mainly due to the fact that such births occur predominantly to young women. The importance of the synergistic effect of maternal age and birth order is also demonstrated: for example, fifth order births to women aged 20-24 and third order births to women under 20 have a risk of about one infant death in every four live births."