PATTERNS OF CLUSTERING OF CHILD-MORTALITY IN A RURAL AREA OF SENEGAL

This study assesses the empirical evidence for the presence and the pa ttern of heterogeneity in child mortality between families in a rural area of Senegal that is apparently homogeneous with regard to the know n determinants of mortality. The presence of heterogeneity is assessed by comparing the distribution of child deaths for women with a chance distribution. To weigh the relative contribution of causes of within- and between-family heterogeneity in the risk of child death to the obs erved pattern of clustering, detailed simulations in which empirical c hild-based data from the study are used, are undertaken. There are imp ortant variations in child mortality between families in this communit y, and the familial component in child mortality is almost entirely co rrelated with the size of the family. High-risk women experience repea ted child deaths and repeated short birth intervals; they therefore ha ve larger families. Heterogeneity in mortality and selective fertility , however, fail to explain the observed association between low mortal ity risk and small family size.