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Recent attention to Millennium Development Goals by the international development community has led to the formation of targets to measure country-level achievements, including achievements on health status indicators such as childhood immunization. Using the example of immunization in India, this paper demonstrates the importance of disaggregating national averages for a better understanding of social disparities in health. Specifically, the paper uses data from the India National Family Health Survey 1992–93 to analyze socioeconomic, gender, urban-rural and regional inequalities in immunization in India for each of the 17 largest states. Results show that, on average, southern states have better immunization levels and lower immunization inequalities than many northern states. Wealth and regional inequalities are correlated with overall levels of immunization in a non-linear fashion. Gender inequalities persist in most states, including in the south, and seem unrelated to overall immunization or the levels of other inequalities measured here. This suggests that the gender differentials reflect deep-seated societal factors rather than health system issues per se. The disaggregated information and analysis used in this paper allows for setting more meaningful targets than country averages. Additionally, it helps policy makers and planners to understand programmatic constraints and needs by identifying disparities between sub-groups of the population, including strong and weak performers at the state and regional levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary The paper evaluates an Indian maternal conditional cash transfer scheme. Launched in 2005, the program gives women cash transfers for receiving maternal and child health care services. Data are drawn from India’s District Level Household Survey to evaluate the program’s impact. Results indicate that the program had a limited overall effect: relative to the broader population, the targeted population experienced a 3 percentage point increase in medically supervised births, but no increase in ante-natal or post-natal care. We do however, find evidence of heterogeneity of impact. Women without any formal education and women in rural areas experience disproportionate gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: LBW continues to remain one of the serious challenges to maternal and child health care with every 3rd born child in India being low birth weight. Hence, it is imperative to monitor birth weights as well as assess the magnitude of neonatal morbidity and mortality and its subsequent causes and predisposing factors in order to prevent it . We conducted a retrospective study at our hospital to assess the morbidity and mortality patterns of LBW neonates and here in present the findings of our study in this paper. Methodology: The present study was conducted at the Pravara Rural Hospital, a tertiary level health care centre in western Maharashtra. Hospital medical records on deliveries and neonatal admissions were reviewed from June 2007 to May 2010. The files of those identified as delivered LBW were reviewed extensively for any morbidity and the cause of death was noted in those deceased. An association between LBW babies and socio-demographic characteristics was evaluated in the form of percentages and chi square test of significance. Results: The occurrence of LBW spectrum in this cohort was 43.1%. A significant association was found between LBW and sex of the neonate (p=0.0001); socioeconomic status (p=0.0001); educational status of mother (p=0.043); gestational age (p<0.0001); maternal weight (p=0.003); utilization of antenatal care (0.024). The infant mortality rate was 35 per 1000 live births Conclusion: Considering the high mortality rate in the rural area with a high cohort of neonates dying from preventable or treatable causes of death like infections, birth asphyxia and hyperbilirubinemia etc., there seems to be an urgent need to define the priorities for LBW baby care services in such backward areas of rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper models the proximate determinants of height, weight and haemoglobin concentration of over 25,000 Indian children using data from the National Family Health Survey-3. The effects of public and private health care service utilization, food consumption patterns and maternal health status on child health were investigated in a multidisciplinary framework. Methodological issues such as potential endogeneity of explanatory variables and the appropriateness of combining height and weight as the body mass index were tackled. The results from models for children's heights and weight showed beneficial effects of child vaccinations against DPT, polio and measles, and negative effects of not utilizing government health facilities. The models for children's haemoglobin concentration indicated beneficial effects of food consumption patterns and treatment against intestinal parasites. The results provide several insights for improving child health in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]