Child Survival and Fertility in Kenya

Summary An-Margritt Jensen, ‘Child Survival and Fertility in Kenya’, Forum for Development Studies, No. 1, 1993, pp. 37–47. This article focuses on the interplay between child survival, fertility and acceptance of family planning in the case of Kenya. The issue is first discussed at an aggregate level, illustrating the regional differences in terms of fertility, child mortality and family planning usage in Kenya. In the last part of the article attention is given to the invididual level, discussing fertility and family planning among women who have, or have not, experienced to lose a child. In this section data from case studies on two areas, Western and Coast provinces, are employed. Both provinces have high levels of child mortality, while they differ in terms of fertility levels. Fertility rate in Western Province is much higher than in Coast Province. The article reveals that fertility in both areas is higher among women who have lost a child. The low fertility in Coast Province reflects that many women in this area suffer from sub-fecundity. Both child loss and sub-fecundity have negative impact on the use of modern contraceptives.