Journal of Urban Health
Volume 88, Issue SUPPL. 2, 2011, Pages S266-S281

Do migrant children face greater health hazards in slum settlements? evidence from Nairobi, Kenya (Article) (Open Access)

Bocquier P.* , Beguy D. , Zulu E.M. , Muindi K. , Konseiga A. , Yé Y.
  • a Department of Demography and Population Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
  • b African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
  • c African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
  • d African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
  • e Institut IDEA International, Québec, QC, Canada
  • f African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), P.O. Box 14688-00800, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya, ICF Macro, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705, United States

Abstract

Between 60% and 70% of Nairobi City's population live in congested informal settlements, commonly referred to as slums, without proper access to sanitation, clean water, health care and other social services. Children in such areas are exposed to disproportionately high health hazards. This paper examines the impact of mother and child migration on the survival of more than 10,000 children in two of Nairobi's informal settlements\-Korogocho and Viwandani\-between July 2003 and June 2007, using a two-stage semi-parametric proportional hazards (Cox) model that controls for attrition and various factors that affect child survival. Results show that the slum-born have higher mortality than non-slum-born, an indication that delivery in the slums has long-term health consequences for children. Children born in the slums to women who were pregnant at the time of migration have the highest risk of dying. Given the high degree of circular migration, factors predisposing children born in the slums to recent migrant mothers to higher mortality should be better understood and addressed. © 2011 The New York Academy of Medicine.

Author Keywords

Migration Nairobi Two-stage Cox model Attrition Child mortality Kenya Informal settlements

Index Keywords

urban population longitudinal study proportional hazards model Proportional Hazards Models survival rate demography poverty Population Surveillance human Longitudinal Studies statistics Kenya Residence Characteristics Humans Infant, Newborn male preschool child female Infant risk factor Risk Factors Child, Preschool newborn Mothers Article mother migration Poverty Areas Emigration and Immigration childhood mortality Child Mortality health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80052963880&doi=10.1007%2fs11524-010-9497-6&partnerID=40&md5=60f9dafb47577d4c3e795518d0fae18b
DOI: 10.1007/s11524-010-9497-6
ISSN: 10993460
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English