Grandparents and the mortality of their grandchildren in the Gambia: Findings from the 1993 census

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between the survival of grandparents and that of their grandchildren in the Gambia. In addition it is concerned with the grandchild mortality implications of sharing a household with a grandparent. The dissertation tests the idea that grandparents improve the mortality outcomes of their grandchildren. The evidence presented is based on data on children ever born (CEB) and children surviving (CS) (the Brass questions) taken from the 1993 census of the Gambia. A reliable methodology is developed to study mortality differentials based on this type of data: the logit model with multiple trials. This methodology is then applied to the investigation of a potential grandparental survival effect amongst grandchildren of all ages. Results indicate that the survival of grandparents is associated with improvements in the mortality outcomes of grandchildren of all ages, regardless of the gender and the lineage of the grandparent. However, sharing a household with a grandparent does not seem to matter for the survival of the grandchild. The analysis is also conducted amongst grandchildren below the age of 1 using data on children born last year (CBLYR). A standard logistic model is used. Conclusions indicate that both the survival and the co-residential status of a grandparent do not matter to the mortality outcomes of infant grandchildren. Chapter 1 offers a descriptive look at grandparents and grandchildren in the Gambia. Chapter 2 introduces the logit model with multiple trials and Chapter 3 considers the model as a tool for program planning and evaluation. Finally, Chapters 4 and 5 explore the existence of a grandparental survival effect on grandchildren of all ages and on grandchildren below the age of one respectively