Citation

Ahmad S. Rural Demogr. 1988; 15(1-2): 27-39.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Institute of Statistical Research and Training, University of Dacca)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12343242

Abstract

A researcher from the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh applied data from the 1974 Bangladesh Retrospective Survey of Fertility and Mortality to the Palloni-Heligman model life tables and to the Coale-Demeny model life tables to estimate trends in infant mortality and life expectancy in 4 regions. Both models exhibited a slight fall in infant mortality during 1960-1965, but in increased during 1967-1971. It fell during 1959-1965 in Rajshani, Khulna, and Dhaka and increased after 1965. On the other hand, it remained basically the same from 1959-1969 in Chittagong then increased. Rajshani and Khulna had higher infant mortality from 1959-1967 than Dhaka and Chittagong. Even though Dhaka had the lowest infant mortality in 1971, the rates for all the regions were essentially the same. Life expectancy at birth hovered around 47 years during 1960-1969 then fell to 45 years in 1971. In Rajshani and Khulna, it rose consistently from 1959-1967. Dhaka also had increasing life expectancy, but it was not consistent. All 4 regions exhibited a fall in life expectancy after 1969. Improved medical and public health services in the 1950s accounted for the fall in infant mortality and rise in life expectancy at birth between 1959-late 1960s. A cluster of disasters in the early 1970s including a cyclone, civil uprising related to independence, and famine resulted in high infant mortality rates and lower life expectancy rates. To reduce mortality and increase life expectancy, major headway must be made in improving the standard of living, nutritional status of the population, water supply, and sanitary facilities. In addition, a child health program that provides basic immunization and oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea will further improvements.

Language: en