Abstract
Ensuring the survival and well-being of children is a fundamental goal that every society should strive to achieve. In this Chapter, we deal with the issues of health and healthcare service utilization, particularly those concerned with the pressing issue of childhood mortality in India. With 5.3 million children worldwide facing premature deaths before the age of five, this chapter delves into the specific challenges faced in Indian states and across various socio-economic classes. Understanding childhood mortality is crucial not only for assessing a nation's overall well-being but also in addressing the root causes. The chapter provides and understanding of childhood morbidity, health-seeking behaviors, and the utilization of healthcare services, including immunization and institutional delivery. Adolescent pregnancy and mental health among teenagers are also discussed. The need for targeted interventions can be seen from the analysis. The discussions in the Chapter are aligned with the urgency of achieving SDG-3, which will require emphasis on tailoring policy interventions to address healthcare needs of children. While positive strides have been made in areas such as immunization and institutional delivery, persistent disparities and challenges in several other areas necessitate targeted efforts to ensure equitable health outcomes for all children. Addressing regional disparities, cultural barriers, and promoting adolescent health are also crucial components for achieving SDG-3 and fostering a healthier society.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bango, M., & Ghosh, S. (2023). Reducing infant and child mortality: Assessing the social inclusiveness of child health care policies and programmes in three states of India. BMC Public Health, 23, 1149. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15812-7
Bhatia, M., Dwivedi, L. K., Ranjan, M., Dixit, P., & Putcha, V. (2019). Trends, patterns and predictive factors of infant and child mortality in well-performing and underperforming states of India: A secondary analysis using National Family Health Surveys. BMJ Open, 9, e023875. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023875
Bora, J. K., Raushan, R., & Lutz, W. (2019). The persistence influence of caste on under five mortality: Factors that explain the caste based gap in high focused Indian states. PLoS ONE, 14(8), e0211086.
Bora, J. K., & Saikia, N. (2018). Neonatal and under-five mortality rate in indian districts with reference to sustainable development goal 3: an analysis of the National Family Health Survey Of India (NFHS): 2015–16. PLoS ONE, 13(7), e0201125.
Brinda, E. M., Rajkumar, A. P., & Enemark, U. (2015). Association between gender inequality index and child mortality rates: A cross-national study of 138 countries. BMC Public Health, 15, 97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1449-3
Dandona. (2020). Subnational mapping of under-5 and neonatal mortality trends in India: The global burden of disease study 2000–17. Lancet. Published Online May 12, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30471-2. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930471-2
Dutta, S. (2022). Risk factors for child survival among tribal dominated states in India: A pooled cross sectional analysis. Journal of Population Research, 39, 391–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-022-09288-2
Gianino, M. M., Lenzi, J., Bonaudo, M., Fantini, M. P., Siliquini, R., Ricciardi, W., & Damiani, G. (2019). Patterns of amenable child mortality over time in 34 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Evidence from a 15-year time trend analysis (2001–2015). BMJ Open, 9(5), e027909. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027909. PMID: 31122996; PMCID: PMC6538061.
Guerra, A. B., Guerra, L. M., Probst, L. F., Gondinho, B. V. C., Ambrosano, G. M. B., Melo, E. A., Brizon, V. S. C., Bulgareli, J. V., Cortellazzi, K. L., & Pereira, A. C. (2019). Can the primary health care model affect the determinants of neonatal, post-neonatal and maternal mortality? A study from Brazil. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 133. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-3953-0
Guilmoto, C. Z., Siakia, N., Tamrakar, V., & Bora, J. K. (2018). Excess under-5 female mortality across India: A spatial analysis using 2011 census data. Lancet Global Health, 6, e650–e658.
Hollin, I. L., Bonilla, B., Bagley, A., & Tucker, C. A. (2022). Social and environmental determinants of health among children with long-term movement impairment. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Science, 3, 831070. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2022.831070. PMID: 36188898; PMCID: PMC9397841.
Kravdal, O. (2004). Child mortality in India: The community-level effect of education. Population Studies, 58(2), 177–192.
Kumar, P. (2016). How to strengthen primary health care. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 5(3), 543–546. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.197263. PMID: 28217580; PMCID: PMC5290757.
Li, L., Oza, S., Hogan, D., Perin, J., Rudan, I., Lawn, J. E., Cousens, S., Mathers, C., & Black, R. E. (2015). Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2000–13, with projections to inform post-2015 priorities: An updated systematic analysis. Lancet, 385, 430–440.
Mehta, A. K., & Pratap, S. (2018). Ill health and poverty: Policy imperatives for achieving SDG3. In A. K. Mehta, et al. (Eds.), Poverty, chronic poverty and poverty dynamics: Policy imperatives. Springer International.
Mishra, P. S., Veerapandian, K., & Choudhary, P. K. (2021). Impact of socio-economic inequity in access to maternal health benefits in India: Evidence from Janani Suraksha Yojana using NFHS data. PLoS One, 16(3), e0247935. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247935. PMID: 33705451; PMCID: PMC7951864.
Mohanty, S. K. (2011). Multidimensional poverty and child survival in India. PLoS ONE, 6(10), e26857.
Okonofua, F. E., Ntoimo, L. F. C., Adejumo, O. A., Imongan, W., Ogu, R. N., & Anjorin, S. O. (2022). Assessment of interventions in primary health care for improved maternal, new-born and child health in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. SAGE Open, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221134222
Pappachan, B., & Choonara, I. (2017). Inequalities in child health in India. BMJ Pediatric Open, 1(1), e000054. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000054. PMID: 29637107; PMCID: PMC5862182.
Po, J. Y., & Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Mortality burden and economic status in India. PLoS One, 6(2), e16844. PMID: 21347373.
Popay, J., Whitehead, M., Ponsford, R., Egan, M., & Mead, R. (2020). Power, control, communities and health inequalities I: Theories, concepts and analytical frameworks. Health Promotion International, 36(5), 1253–1263. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa133
Saikia, N., Singh, A., Jasillionis, D., & Ram, F. (2013). Explaining the rural—Urban gap in infant mortality in India. Demographic Research, 29, 473–506.
Sankar, M. J., Neogi, S. B., Sharma, J., Chauhan, M., Srivastava, R., Prabhakar, P. K., Khera, A., Kumar, R., Zodpey, S., & Paul, V. K. (2016). State of newborn health in India. Journal of Perinatology, 36(s3), S3–S8. https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.183. PMID: 27924104; PMCID: PMC5144119.
Sartorius, B. K., & Sartorius, K. (2014). Global infant mortality trends and attributable determinants—An ecological study using data from 192 countries for the period 1990–2011. Population Health Metrics, 12, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-014-0029-6
Singh, R., & Tripathi, V. (2013). Maternal factors contributing to under-five mortality at birth order 1 to 5 in India: A comprehensive multivariate study. Springer Plus, 2, 284. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-284. PMID: 23961385; PMCID: PMC3724980.
Singh-Manoux, A., Dugravot, A., Smith, G. D., Subramanyam, M., & Subramanian, S. V. (2008). Adult education and child mortality in India: The influence of caste, household wealth, and urbanization. Epidemiology, 19(2), 294–301. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181632c75. PMID: 18300716; PMCID: PMC3056118.
UN Interagency Group of Child Mortality Estimation. (2019). Levels and trends of child mortality. UNICEF, New York.
UN Interagency Group of Child Mortality Estimation. (2022). Levels and trends of child mortality. UNICEF, New York.
UN News. (2023). Improve healthcare access to end preventable tragedy of child mortality, United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132187
WHO. (2018). Health inequalities and their causes. https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/health-inequities-and-their-causes
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dutta, S., Das, K.C. (2024). Child Health Status and Utilization of Healthcare Services. In: Mapping Sustainable Development Goals for Children in India. India Studies in Business and Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8901-0_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8901-0_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-8900-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-8901-0
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)