Abstract/Details

SEASONAL PATTERNS OF INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY IN NEW YORK, CHICAGO, AND NEW ORLEANS: 1870-1919 (ILLINOIS, LOUISIANA)

LENTZNER, HAROLD ROY.   University of Pennsylvania ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1987. 8714077.

Abstract (summary)

Evidence from both historical and contemporary societies clearly shows that mortality from diarrheal diseases contributes to low life expectancy, and that reduced rates from this cause complex have been an important component in transition from high to low mortality. Explanations for the decline in infant and child mortality from diarrheal diseases in nineteenth century United States have focused on either a general rise in levels of living, attributed to increases in personal and national income, or to corporate intervention affecting both public and private health practices.

This analysis investigates the nature of childhood gastrointestinal infection, its causes, and some possible reasons for the decline in its relative importance by examining mortality data from New York, Chicago, and New Orleans dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The analysis focuses on monthly and seasonal mortality of infants, one year olds, and children ages 2-5. Summer mortality was used as a marker for diarrheal diseases because there is overwhelming evidence that acute infections were concentrated in the summer months.

Monthly and seasonal mortality indices were created from ratios of actual to expected deaths for a 50-year period, from 1870-1919, for the three age groups in all three cities. Dummy variable regression analysis was employed to compute rates of change in the indices for several time periods. These results were then used in a detailed evaluation of important public health programs.

Results of the analysis indicate that (1) excessive summer seasonality was primarily focussed among infants and one year olds, (2) each city had its unique pattern of decline in the relative importance of diarrheal disease in this 50-year interval, (3) public health interventions in milk and water could only have been effective from the 1890s on, and (4) the impact of water and milk reform varied in the three cities.

Indexing (details)


Subject
Demographics;
Demography
Classification
0938: Demography
Identifier / keyword
Social sciences
Title
SEASONAL PATTERNS OF INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY IN NEW YORK, CHICAGO, AND NEW ORLEANS: 1870-1919 (ILLINOIS, LOUISIANA)
Author
LENTZNER, HAROLD ROY
Number of pages
406
Degree date
1987
School code
0175
Source
DAI-A 48/03, Dissertation Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
979-8-206-10694-7
University/institution
University of Pennsylvania
University location
United States -- Pennsylvania
Degree
Ph.D.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
8714077
ProQuest document ID
303484666
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/docview/303484666