Child mortality risk and fertility: Evidence from prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Nicholas Wilson

Journal of Development Economics, 2015, vol. 116, issue C, 74-88

Abstract: A fundamental question in development and growth is whether and how fast fertility responds to reductions in child mortality risk. I use the expansion of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in Zambia to provide some of the first quasi-experimental evidence on this question. My results suggest that the local introduction of PMTCT reduced pregnancy rates by approximately 10%, particularly among likely HIV positive women and women in locations where PMTCT was available for a longer duration, and that PMTCT substantially increased breastfeeding rates.

Keywords: Child mortality risk; Demographic transition; Fertility; HIV/AIDS; PMTCT; Zambia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:116:y:2015:i:c:p:74-88

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2015.01.007

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