Birth Intervals and the Survival of Children to Age Five--Some Data from Nepal

Several studies have demonstrated the relationship between birth intervals and the history of the fetus or child. None have attempted to examine impact of preand post-birth intervals on a single population. Data were gathered on a corrected sample of 6310 children in Nepal, and analyzed for mortality experience to five years. Regardless of whether the interval was prebirth or post-birth, and irrespective of the age of the mother or birth order, a child with a pre- or post-birth interval of less than 18 months was about three times more likely to die in the first five years than a child with intervals of 42 months or more.