Jaký byl vliv složení populace rodiček na zdraví novorozenců v ČR mezi roky 1992 a 2004

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of the changing structure of fertility upon two important indicators of newborn children’s health–average birth weight and the proportion of newborns with low birth weight–in the Czech Republic between 1992 and 2004. We argue that changes in the structure of the population of mothers might have significantly contributed to observed trends in child health. After standardizing population structure we conclude that changes in the age pattern of fertility contributed significantly to improving child health, while improving educational attainment of mothers had only a minor positive effect. We also observe a moderate negative effect of increasing non-marital fertility and no effect of parity. We foresee that the negative structural effects (increasing proportion of older women, increasing out-of-wedlock motherhood) are likely to continue, while the positive effects (diminishing fertility of very young women) are likely to weaken. Hence, we anticipate that both birth outcomes would deteriorate in the coming years.