Under-Five Death and Uptake of Health Interventions for Subsequent Children: Evidence from High Mortality Settings in Sub-Saharan Africa

Joshua O. Akinyemi, University of Ibadan
Sunday Adedini, University of the Witwatersrand
Sanni Yaya, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada

Research discourse about effects of child mortality on subsequent fertility has identified behavioural replacement as a potential mechanism. Available evidence from high mortality settings of sub-Saharan Africa supports this hypothesis. Extending the argument further, an empirical question of research interest is “does experience of under-five death motivate women in high mortality settings of sub-Saharan Africa to seek preventive and curative health interventions for their subsequent children? We plan to conduct exploratory analyses using reproductive history data from demographic and health surveys conducted in selected sub-Saharan Africa countries from year 2015 onward. Outcome variables would include the following health and survival interventions for the index child: vaccination, use of insecticide treated net, treatment of malaria, diarrhoea and symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections. The findings would be very useful to inform health education and awareness campaigns on child survival in sub-Saharan Africa.