Proximate determinants affecting child survival through maternal education A case study of kisumu district.

Abstract

The impact of Maternal Education on child survival in a cohort of women aged 15-49 years was examined in three divisions, Winam, Kisumu Municipality and Nyando in Kisumu District, Western Kenya. The influence of Education in promoting Child Survival was compared with other intermediate variables of Infant and Child mortality. The Socio-economic variable mainly considered was the mother's formal education. Other Proximate determinants of Child mortality considered were maternal factors such as, age at first marriage, age at first birth, parity, birth interval, personal health control measures such as immunization and environmental factors. A total of 391 were selected to constitute the sample size. Samples of 123 women in Nyando, 124 in Kisumu Municipality and 144 in Winam were interviewed between August and October 1991, using an interview schedule and simple observation. The main findings of this study were as follows: The educational background of the mother was seen to influence child survival. Mortality was highest for children whose mothers had no education. Maternal education was found to influence the family size, especially number of children born and number of children dead. However, differences in child mortality were not entirely attributable to education and Socio-economic variables alone.put could also point to cultural beliefs and different perceptions on causes of Child morbidity and mortality.