CHILDREN MORTALITY AND FAMILY PATTERNS;

A STUDY IN BAHAWALPUR

Abstract

. Introduction: Some of the mother’s risk factors associated with the infant and childhood death were
investigated in Bahawalpur. Objective: To have the knowledge of childhood mortality and family formation pattern in
Bahawalpur. Design: Cross sectional descriptive epidemiological study. Setting: Quaid-e-Azam Medical College
Bahawalpur. Period: From January to May 2007. Material & Methods: 320 urban women were interviewed for
pregnancy histories and their attitude towards family formation were sought. Results: Early marriage, low education
level, and high parity were associated with infant deaths. Thirty-seven percent of urban families and 28.5% of rural
families had lost one or more children, usually all in infancy. Generally half of the deaths were caused by infectious
diseases. Most women preferred a large family and majority of those who had lost children had replaced them. No
difference were found between urban and rural women regarding attitudes towards child loss and family formation
patterns. Conclusions: Preventive measures should be adopted to control infectious diseases to reduce children
mortality.