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MATERNAL SOCIOECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEX RATIO AT BIRTH IN VIETNAM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2010

BANG NGUYEN PHAM ,
TIMOTHY ADAIR  and
PETER S. HILL
BANG NGUYEN PHAM
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
TIMOTHY ADAIR
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
PETER S. HILL
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
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Summary

In recent years Vietnam has experienced a high sex ratio at birth (SRB) amidst rapid socioeconomic and demographic changes. However, little is known about the differentials in SRB between maternal socioeconomic and demographic groups. The paper uses data from the annual Population Change Survey (PCS) in 2006 to examine the relationship of the sex ratio of the most recent birth with maternal socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and the number of previous female births. The SRB of Vietnam was significantly high at 111.4 (95% CI 109.7–113.1) for the period 1st April 2000 to 31st March 2006. Multivariate analysis reveals that sex of the most recent birth is strongly related with the number of previous female births. This association is consistent across different socioeconomic and demographic groups of women. Given the high SRB in Vietnam, further research into the reasons for high SRB in these groups is required, as are intervention programmes such as those raising the public awareness of its negative consequences.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 42 , Issue 6 , November 2010 , pp. 757 - 772
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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