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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Brian Chin, BSc, Harvard Initiative for Global Health, Harvard University, 104 Mt. Auburn St., 3rd Fl., Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-495-4717, Brian_Chin@harvard.edu and Annie Chu, BA, Department of Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115.

High child mortality and morbidity in developing countries are highly associated with limited access to and poor quality of health care. Utilization of health services for children plays an important role towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal in the reduction of child mortality. In Nepal, several studies reveal disparities in child health outcomes across socio-economic levels and regions of the country. Health inequalities found in the relationship between socio-demographic determinants and the utilization of child health services has not been under rigorous examination. The primary goal of the paper is to examine empirical evidence of the socio-demographic determinants of child health services utilization, such as geographical access, household income, and mother's age and education level. Using 1987, 1996, and 2001 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey data, both cross-sectional and fixed-effects logit models are used to analyze the effect of the determinants on child health services utilization. The paper presents an analysis of the availability of health facilities, followed by a description of the trends in child health services utilization and child survival rates. Results show large inequalities in child health utilization across household income quintiles and regional accessibility, which increase over time. An important health equity implication of the association is the design of health policies and programs that reach children most at risk by increasing coverage to ensure including or targeting programs towards them.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe the trends in child health services utilization and child survival rates in Nepal.
• Evaluate the roles of socio-demographic determinants of child health services utilization in Nepal.
• Assess inequalities in child health services utilization and the importance of developing health policy and programs to reach children most at risk.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered