Infant Mortality Decline in Malaysia, 1946-1975

The Roles of Changes in Variables and Changes in the Structure of Relationships

Julie DaVanzo, Jean-Pierre Habicht

Published 1986

This Note is a reprint of an article that appeared in Demography, v. 23, no. 2, May 1986, p. 143-160. It uses individual-level retrospective data from the Malaysian Family Life Survey to examine why the infant mortality rate (IMR) has declined rapidly in Malaysia since World War II. Substantial increases in mothers' education and improvements in water and sanitation have contributed. However, breastfeeding reductions have kept the IMR from declining as rapidly as it would have otherwise. The detrimental effects of reduced breastfeeding more than offset the beneficial effects of water and sanitation improvements. The majority of the IMR decline, however, is not explained by changes in the variables considered in this Note, or in their relationships with infant mortality.

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1986
  • Pages: 18
  • Document Number: N-2491-WB/RF/FF

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DaVanzo, Julie and Jean-Pierre Habicht, Infant Mortality Decline in Malaysia, 1946-1975: The Roles of Changes in Variables and Changes in the Structure of Relationships. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1986. https://www.rand.org/pubs/notes/N2491.html.
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