Model Answer
0 min readIntroduction
Infant mortality rate (IMR), defined as the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births, is a crucial indicator of a nation’s socio-economic development and public health infrastructure. While medical advancements have significantly reduced IMR globally, disparities persist, particularly in developing countries like India. These disparities are not merely a result of inadequate healthcare access but are deeply embedded in social and cultural contexts. According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) data, India’s IMR was 26.6 per 1,000 live births in 2021, showcasing a declining trend but highlighting the continued need for focused interventions. This answer will explore the social and cultural determinants of IMR and propose strategies to prevent the heinous practice of infanticide.
Social Determinants of Infant Mortality Rate
Social determinants are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. Several key social factors contribute to higher IMRs:
- Poverty: Poverty limits access to nutritious food, safe water, sanitation, and quality healthcare. Malnutrition during pregnancy and early childhood significantly increases vulnerability to infections and mortality.
- Education (especially of women): Higher levels of maternal education are strongly correlated with lower IMRs. Educated mothers are more likely to seek antenatal care, understand health information, and adopt better childcare practices.
- Access to Healthcare: Limited access to healthcare facilities, particularly in rural areas, results in delayed or inadequate prenatal and postnatal care. This includes lack of skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and immunization services.
- Social Inequality & Caste System: Marginalized communities, particularly those belonging to lower castes and tribes, face systemic discrimination in access to resources and healthcare, leading to higher IMRs.
- Occupation & Working Conditions: Women engaged in physically demanding or hazardous occupations during pregnancy are at increased risk of adverse birth outcomes.
Cultural Determinants of Infant Mortality Rate
Cultural beliefs and practices can significantly impact infant health and survival:
- Son Preference: Deep-rooted son preference in many parts of India leads to neglect of female infants, resulting in higher female IMR. This manifests in various forms, including inadequate feeding, delayed healthcare seeking, and even infanticide.
- Harmful Traditional Practices: Certain traditional practices during pregnancy and childbirth, such as home deliveries conducted by untrained birth attendants, early marriage, and restrictive dietary practices, can increase the risk of complications and mortality.
- Beliefs about Illness & Treatment: Reliance on traditional healers and remedies instead of seeking timely medical attention can delay appropriate treatment and worsen health outcomes.
- Stigma & Social Norms: Stigma associated with certain health conditions, such as low birth weight or congenital anomalies, can prevent families from seeking care.
Infanticide: Causes and Prevention
Infanticide, the intentional killing of an infant, is an extreme manifestation of gender inequality and societal biases. While illegal, it persists in certain regions of India.
Causes of Infanticide:
- Gender Discrimination: The primary driver of infanticide is son preference, leading parents to eliminate female infants.
- Poverty & Economic Hardship: Families struggling with poverty may resort to infanticide due to the perceived economic burden of raising a child, especially a female child.
- Social Pressure: Social norms and expectations regarding family size and gender composition can contribute to infanticide.
- Lack of Awareness & Education: Limited awareness about the legal consequences of infanticide and the value of female children can perpetuate the practice.
Suggestions to Prevent Infanticide:
- Strengthening Legal Frameworks: Strict enforcement of laws prohibiting sex selection and infanticide, coupled with swift and severe punishment for offenders. The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, needs more effective implementation.
- Promoting Gender Equality: Addressing gender inequality through education, economic empowerment of women, and challenging patriarchal norms.
- Raising Awareness: Conducting public awareness campaigns to promote the value of female children and the harmful consequences of gender discrimination.
- Improving Access to Healthcare: Ensuring access to quality antenatal and postnatal care, including skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural areas.
- Empowering Communities: Engaging local communities and religious leaders in promoting positive attitudes towards girls and women.
- Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Implementing programs like the Ladli Lakshmi Yojana (various state-level schemes) that provide financial incentives for families to raise daughters.
Conclusion
Addressing the social and cultural determinants of infant mortality and preventing infanticide requires a holistic and multi-sectoral approach. Simply improving healthcare access is insufficient; tackling deeply ingrained societal biases, promoting gender equality, and empowering women are crucial. Sustained investment in education, poverty reduction, and awareness campaigns, coupled with strict enforcement of laws, is essential to ensure that every child, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to survive and thrive. Continued monitoring of IMR trends and evaluation of intervention programs are vital for achieving lasting progress.
Answer Length
This is a comprehensive model answer for learning purposes and may exceed the word limit. In the exam, always adhere to the prescribed word count.