Population and Health in Developing Countries

PREFACE

Population and Health in Developing Countries explores key demographic patterns, health indicators, and socio-economic factors shaping wellbeing across developing regions. This monograph is the first in a series from the International Network for the Continuous Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health in developing countries (INDEPTH). It seeks to do several things. First, it seeks to compile, for both easy reference and comparative purposes, and in detailed and summary formats, the essential characteristics of each participating demographic surveillance system (DSS) site. Second, it seeks to present, for the first time, the mortality structure of each of these sites in a coherent and comparative format. Third, based on a network-wide analysis of the African site data, it proposes a methodology to generate, again for the first time, African model life tables that are based on objective empirical data.

The focus of this volume is the structures of populations at INDEPTH sites and the characteristics of their health and survival. The monograph is divided into three parts: Part I discusses core concepts and methods used in DSSs; Part II provides a comparison of mortality patterns in INDEPTH sites; and Part III presents profiles of INDEPTH sites.

As this is the first publication of its kind on DSSs in Africa and Asia, we thought it would be expedient to discuss core concepts and methods commonly used in most of the sites. Among the concepts discussed in Chapter 1 are the DSS area, longitudinally, DSS subjects, residency and membership, and core DSS events. Rates and measures generated using DSS are discussed in Chapter 2, with specific emphasis on the use of person–years lived in calculating rates. Chapter 3 discusses the DSS methods of data collection, starting with the initial census to establish the DSS population. This chapter discusses initial censuses, update rounds, and the vital events-registration system. It also puts emphasis on mortality monitoring and the tracking of migrants. The processing of DSS data is the main focus of Chapter 4. This chapter treats the important issues of quality assurance and control at the data-processing level. In Chapter 5, Part I ends with a discussion of the quality of DSS data, both in the field and at the data centre. This chapter then provides a detailed discussion of statistical and demographic techniques for analysis of DSS data.

Part II presents a comparison of mortality patterns of INDEPTH sites for the 1995–99 period. Chapter 6 starts with a discussion of crude overall mortality at INDEPTH sites. This chapter presents an INDEPTH population-age standard for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the standardization of mortality rates, and it gives the reason for using this new standard instead of the United Nations models.

The INDEPTH age standard for SSA typifies the population in developing countries, with its very young age structure. INDEPTH sites have used this standard to compare mortality in SSA. This comparison highlights age-specific mortality, considering mortality in infancy, childhood, and adulthood. This discussion compares the INDEPTH standard for SSA with the Segi population and the new World Health…