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Differential mortality among the twins and singletons in India: an analysis through its various correlates
Authors: S. Maiti, and M. Guruswamy
Source: Demography India, 31(2): 259-287
Topic(s): Infant mortality
Twinning
Country: Asia
  India
Published: JAN 2002
Abstract: This paper tries to examine the differential infant mortality among twins and singletons by exploring National Family Health Survey Data (1992-93) in India. It tries to analyze the different socioeconomic, demographic and maternal and child care and behavioral correlates which are intensely related to twins and singleton mortality. Estimation of the level of neonatal and post neonatal mortality has been done by way of constructing a Multiple Classification Analysis table with the help of logistic coefficients and means of each category of the variables. Further the logistic regression approach has been envisaged at the multivariate level to assess the determinants of neonatal and post neonatal mortality separately for both twins and singletons. The study indicates that the factors like mother's illiteracy and age at birth, previous birth interval, sex of the child, assistance at delivery and breast-feeding affects mortality largely for twins than for singletons. Weakened by gestational and other biological complications, twins seem to be more vulnerable and detrimental to demographic and socioeconomic influences than singletons. The study also further indicates that the second twin experiences a lower chance of survivability than the first one.