Factors Associated with Infant Death in Indonesia: an Analysis of Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey in 2012 and 2017

This dissertation is comprised of two studies. This dissertation aims to determine the proximate, intermediate, and distal factors that contribute to infant death and low birth weight (LBW) in Indonesia. The data are from the 2012 and 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Surveys (IDHSs). To evaluate the variable relationship, univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. According to the findings of the first study, a higher risk of infant death was associated with shorter birth intervals (24 months) and male infants. Infant death risk factors included babies perceived as being small and older mothers. Mothers in Sumatera and Java/Bali were less likely to lose an infant than those in Papua and Maluku.
The second study revealed that newborn living in rural type had a reduced risk of LBW than newborn living in urban areas. The risk of LBW was four times higher among women who never-married mothers than their counterparts. Infants delivered by a cesarean section (CS) had a higher risk of LBW compared to those who were not delivered by a CS. Policy recommendations and implications were provided based on these study findings.