INFANTS AND CHILDREN
Health and Well-being

More than 10 million children under the age of 5 die each year in the developing world. In low-income countries, one child in 11 dies before its fifth birthday, compared with 1 in 143 in high-income countries.

The Population Council conducts research to find ways of improving the lives and health of infants and children. This research includes inquiring into the causes of infant mortality; developing and evaluating innovative strategies to support orphans and other children affected by AIDS; using research results to strengthen programs for encouraging the abandonment of female genital mutilation/cutting; conducting large-scale experimental programs in community health; and evaluating programs run by partner organizations that are intended to:   

• improve obstetric practices and postpartum care for mothers and newborns;

• reduce neonatal and infant mortality through investigating the use of the Kangaroo Mother Care method, which keeps low-birth weight infants upright in skin-to-skin contact with the mother’s breast; large-scale experimental programs in community health; and

• use an interactive CD-ROM as a way of providing mothers-to-be with information about pregnancy, delivery, and care of their babies.

Projects

• Egypt: Intra-household Resource Allocation in Egypt: Women's Empowerment and Investment in Children

• Pakistan: Monitoring and Evaluating the Primary Healthcare Revitalization, Integration and Decentralization in Earthquake-affected Areas (PRIDE) Program

• Philippines: Health Service Providers and Early Childhood Health and Development

• FRONTIERS project

  • Bangladesh: Community-based Kangaroo Mother Care to Prevent Neonatal and Infant Mortality

• Horizons project

  • Rwanda: Assessing the Psychosocial Benefits of a Community-based Home Visitation Program for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Rwanda

Publications/Resources on this issue

See Also

• "Measles vaccination shown to improve survival chances of poorest children," 2001 press release (full text)

• Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

• Kangaroo Mother Care

• Large-Scale Experimental Programs

• Orphans and Vulnerable Children

• Safe Motherhood and Postpartum Care

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This page updated 3 April 2008

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