Month of birth and child health and survival in sub-Saharan Africa

Audrey Dorelien, Princeton University

In this paper we analyze whether there is a relationship between month of birth and child health and survival in sub-Saharan Africa. Next we analyze different factors that may contribute to this relationship. Two common hypotheses driving the relationship between birth month and later life outcomes are 1) individuals born in different months/seasons in seasonal environments experience different nutrition and exposure to illness during the fetal period and 2) parents of different socioeconomic status may give births at different times of the year. Finally we also analyze, why the peak natality season often corresponds with lower infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.