Page 46 - 5th APA Conference Program Book Final

1724 Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Assessing the quality of care
across the continuum of reproductive and newborn health in India using the latest
nationally representative data

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Ritam Dubey , Lucky Singh , Prashant Kumar Singh , Shalini Singh
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1 ICMR-NICPR, Noida, India. ICMR-NIMS, Delhi, India
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Categories

3. Fertility, Fecundity, Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights

Abstract

Evaluation of access to quality of maternal and child healthcare services has often been stricken with a fragmented
approach and handpicking aspects of care taken as a proxy has rendered an incomplete and probably misleading
picture of reproductive healthcare services available in India. The present study analyzed data from NFHS-4 to map
the usage of these services and dropouts along the continuum of care from antenatal to the postnatal care available
to newborns across 640 districts and 36 states and union territories. Services were gauged in terms of skilled, timely,
and sufficient as well as the appropriateness of antenatal care, skilled attendance during childbirth and skilled and
timely postnatal care to capture the most holistic glimpse of the contemporary trend. The pronounced disparity in
utilization of services was observed in the High Focus states and the districts of these states were noted with the
lowest coverage of antenatal and newborn’s postnatal care. Women's education and age were found associated
with all three maternal and newborn healthcare services where obtaining higher formal education almost doubled
the chances of accessing MCH services across the continuum. Surprisingly, newborns in high focus states were
found with higher chances of receiving postnatal care.

697 “Fertility as Mobility”: What Does It Tell Us about Mobility in India?

Manjistha Banerji
National Council of Applied Economic Research, Delhi, India

Categories

3. Fertility, Fecundity, Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights

Abstract

This paper examines the association between fertility outcomes and social mobility in India and then subsequently
examines what this association tells us about the nature and extent of social mobility in the country.

Earliest formulation of “fertility as mobility” which can be traced back to at least Malthus states small family size is
conducive to upward social mobility. In recent times, the emphasis has been on understanding the institutional
structures that are beyond an individual’s control and provide the frame of reference for a couple’s fertility decisions
to achieve desired mobility goals. Following the latter approach, I examine how mobility- fertility linkages are
shaped in the Indian society. While the neo-liberal economic policies pursued in India over the last 20 years have
generated rising opportunities and aspirations, it is also associated with an extremely competitive environment and
prohibitive education costs. In this scenario, it is only rational that couples limit family size to maximize opportunities

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