Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T02:06:44.263Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Marked from the outset: season of birth and health during early life in Spain during the demographic transition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2006

DAVID SVEN REHER
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
ALBERTO SANZ GIMENO
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Abstract

In this article implications of season of birth for child health in Spain during the demographic transition are explored. Making use of the Aranjuez data base, the authors look at the seasonality of births and its heterogeneities, finding a nearly universal prevalence of late spring and early summer conceptions that is most evident with last-born children. Levels and causes of childhood mortality are strongly related to the season of birth, with those born between April and October showing lower likelihood of survival. These findings can be explained by the way infant feeding, age and season intersect. These results have implications for the relative efficiency of different demographic regimes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)