Determinants of infant mortality in rural India: A three-level model

Abstract

Taking into account the hierarchical structure of the data, through two-level analysis on infant mortality available under second round of National family Health Survey, the same group of authors recently reported determinants of infant mortality while examining possible changes in results under traditional regression analysis that ignores hierarchical structure of data. They reported that the community (e.g., state) level characteristics still have a major role regarding infant mortality in India. For better epidemiological understanding, the present study is to assess determinants of infant mortality in rural India, where three level considerations were possible. The results indicate that even after consideration of these covariates, variation in infant mortality remains significant not only between States but also between Districts. Further, as an additional observation, the probability of infant mortality is still high in rural areas of districts having health facility beyond three kilometers than their counterparts.