Environmental Determinants of Child Mortality in Rural China : A Competing Risks Approach
We use a competing risk model to analyze environmental determinants of child mortality using the 1992 China National Health Survey, which collects information on cause of death. Our primary question is whether taking into account of cause of death...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/03/3162244/environmental-determinants-child-mortality-rural-china-competing-risks-approach-environmental-determinants-child-mortality-rural-china-competing-risks-approach http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15622 |
| Summary: | We use a competing risk model to analyze
environmental determinants of child mortality using the 1992
China National Health Survey, which collects information on
cause of death. Our primary question is whether taking into
account of cause of death using a competing risk model,
compared with a simple model of all-cause mortality, affects
conclusions about the effectiveness of policy interventions.
There are two potential analytical advantages in using cause
of death information: (1) obtaining more accurate estimates
and (2) validating causal relationships. Although, we do not
find significant differences between estimates obtained from
the competing risk model and those from simpler hazard
models, we do find evidence supporting the causal
interpretations of the effect of access to safe water on
child mortality. Our analysis also suggests that a
respondent-based health survey can be used to collect
relatively reliable information on cause of death. Modifying
future demographic and health survey (DHS) instruments to
collect cause of death information inexpensively may be
worthwhile for enhancing the analytical strength of the DHS. |
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