Question

Read the following statements:

(a) Infant mortality means the death of a child less than one year of age.

(b) Infant mortality is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births.

(c) Poverty of the family is the only factor, that contributes to infant mortality.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. (a) and (c)
2. (b) and (c)
3. (a) and (b)
4. (a), (b) and (c)

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : (a) and (b)

The correct answer is (a) and b.

• Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of one.
  • Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.
  • The rate for a given region is the number of children dying under one year of age, divided by the number of live births during the year, multiplied by 1,000.
• A high proportion of the increased risk for death among infants born to women living in poverty reflects an excess of postneonatal deaths, many of which are caused by infectious etiologies or injuries. 
• Many environmental factors contribute to infant mortality, such as the mother's level of education, environmental conditions, and political and medical infrastructure.
  • Improving sanitation, access to clean drinking water, immunization against infectious diseases, and other public health measures can help reduce high rates of infant mortality.

• Infant Mortality Rate in India
  • As per the latest data, in 2017, the IMR was 33.
    • That means, there were 33 deaths per thousand live births.
  • Infant Mortality Rate in Kerala – 10
  • Infant Mortality Rate in Madhya Pradesh – 47
  • The infant mortality rate among females is higher than among males in all Indian states except:
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Delhi
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Uttarakhand
• ​Replacement Rate
  • In the case of no female mortality until the culmination of childbearing age (44/45/49), the replacement level of the TFR would be quite near 2.
  • India is expected to reach replacement levels of fertility by 2020 as fertility rates are falling faster than expected.
  • A survey conducted by the office of the Registrar General of India in 2013 showed that the average number of children that will be born to a woman during her lifetime (that is the Total Fertility Rate) in eight States has fallen below two children per woman.
  • Only nine states had not reached replacement levels. All of them are in Eastern and Southern India and Gujarat.
    • They have not reached the replacement levels of 2.1 below which the population will begin to decline.
  • The current fertility rate for the whole country is 2.33.
    • At this level, we are just  0.2 points away from reaching replacement levels.