Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
National Capital Region
Division of City Schools
BATASAN HILLS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
IBP Road, Batasan Hills, Quezon City
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM

A case study of

Andrea Nicole A. Ang, Stephanie Allen Mae T. dela Cruz*, Hillary Loren M. Pural,
Marie Antoinette L. Rosete, M.D.E.

Entitled:

The Economic Determinants of Child Mortality in the Philippines: A Panel Analysis of 16

Regions

Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research,

Vol. 6, no. 1,

pp.75-101,

January 2017

ISSN: 2304-1013
PURPOSE OF THE CASE STUDY

The main objective of the case study was to investigate the impact of economic

determinants affecting the child morality in 16 regions in the Philippines. To give reasonable

information about the relationship of food inflation, Government Expenditure, and Out-of-pocket

expenditure to the child mortality. The study aims to determine how will the food price inflation

affects the child morality, if the increase in food price can increase or decrease child mortality.

Second, to determine if the Government expenditure affects the child morality, if the increase in

public health expenditure decreases the child morality. Lastly, if out-of-pocket expenditure

affects the child morality, to answer if higher out-of-pocket expenditure decreases the child

mortality rate.

For the past two decades, the under-five mortality rate in the Philippines was reduced by

half. Recently, UNICEF reported that child mortality rate in year 2011 had dramatically

decreased where only 25 under the age of five out of 1,000 live births died. The rate declined to

55% from the 57 deaths of under-five age in the year 1990. The United Nations target for 2015

was to reduce it by two-thirds. This research aims to study the impact of food price inflation,

government expenditures on health and out-of-pocket expenditures on child mortality.

Furthermore, this study will provide the feasible courses of action that must be taken by the

government to reduce child mortality in the country especially in the rural areas.
SUMMARY

Child mortality is one of the socioeconomic issues affecting the economic development

of a country that was measured by the probability of childs death before reaching the age of 5

out of 1,000 births. Most of the child deaths took place in the developing countries, such as the

Philippines. The paper investigates the impact of the economic determinants affecting child

mortality in 16 regions of the Philippines.

To make the analysis effective, the researchers used panel data consisting cross-sectional

and time series to run a panel regression for 16 regions from 2009-2013. Fixed effects panel data

regression models were utilized to examine the effects of the determinants to child mortality.

The results from the food price inflation rate and child mortality exhibited an

insignificant relationship. However Out-of-Pocket and Government Expenditures were proven to

be statistically significant in the reduction of child mortality. The result indicated that the

following expenditures helped to lower the number of child deaths.

RESULTS

The results of the study statistically convey that two of the independent variables,

Government Expenditures and Out-of-Pocket Expenditures affecting child mortality are

significant determinants that were proven by F-statistics of 0.0876 and 0.0068, respectively. This

clarified that the aforementioned variables were negatively related to the criterion. Hence, the

Food Price Inflation Rate has an insignificant determinant which means that it does not create a

huge impact on child mortality. The researchers used 10% level of significance to determine the

statistical significance of the predictors. The Durbin-Watson equivalents to 1.807606 therefore

there is no auto-correlation on the conducted study.

The results from the food price inflation rate and child mortality exhibited an

insignificant relationship. It indicated that there was no effect in child mortality if there was an

increase in food prices. Even if there was no effect of food price inflation in child mortality, food

price inflation should be monitored because of the effect of it to the poor households. According

to Hyun (2008), the price changed in food especially staple food items like rice affected most the

poor. Caufield et al. (2004) showed that due to malnutrition, a significant portion of children died

worldwide.

Insufficient budget, lack of facilities and equipment in rural and urban areas, passive

participation of the government in the national level and unclear systems of accountability were

some of the reasons that hinder the progress of the Philippine healthcare system. Providing a

sustainable, high quality and cost-efficient healthcare system to all Filipinos was the mission of

the Philippine healthcare sector. In lieu, the researchers would like to suggest the enhancement of
 information and communication technology to ease health access and promotion of national

health insurance program.

CONTRIBUTION

The first proposition of the study illustrated a positive relationship between food price inflation

and child mortality rate. Continuous increase in food prices resulted to an increase of child

mortality rate. Studies have shown that higher food prices decreased the consumption. Reducing

the consumption of food was one of the primary reasons that may put childs health at stake from

inadequate food intake and failure to provide the childs nutritional needs.
The second proposition of the study presented that there was a negative relationship between

government health expenditure and child mortality rate. It was the governments responsibility to

improve the quality of health care services in our country by appropriating adequate funds to

support the health needs of the citizens particularly, child health. Given this, increasing the

public expenditure in health reduced the rate of child mortality.

The third proposition of the study illustrated that out-of-pocket expenditure and child mortality

rate has a negative relationship. It represented the increasing out-of-pocket expenditure reduces

child mortality rate. Higher out-of-pocket expenditures created the capability to access ones

necessary needs with quality.

It generates new knowledge about the general state of the Philippines in terms of the mortality of

children.
It opens the mind of the readers about the issues happening in their country.
It provides a new way to look at the problem on how will it affect the rights of children and how

will it contribute to our country.

REFLECTION

Ang Pilipinas ay isa sa mga tinatawag na Developing Countries sa buong mundo. Ibig

sabihin, an gating bansa ay hindi ganoon kaunlad para supartahan ang mga kabataan kaya

maraming kabataan ang namamatay dito sa Pilipinas na tinatawag na Developing Country.

Marami sa mga batang ito ay mahihirap na nakatira sa mga rural na lugar. Sinasabing ang

tinutumbok ng pag-aaral na ito ay ang pag-aralan ang impact ng Food price inflation,

Government Expenditures, at Out-of-pocket Expenditures sa buhay ng mga kabataan. Binibigyan

nito ng ideya ang mga mamamayan para mapaunlad ang kalusugan ng mga kabataan upang

mabawasan ang mga batang namamatay sa bansang Pilipinas. Bilang repleksyon sa pag-aaral ito,

alam ng lahat na ang mortalidad ng kabataan ay pinahahalagahan bilang ito ay nasa batas. Ang

pag-aaral na ito ay itinutumbok ang pagbibigay halaga sa buhay ng mga kabataan. Layunin

nitong imulat satin ang mga bagay na nakaapekto sa mortalidad ng mga kabataan. Pinag-aaralan

ito sa kadahilanang obhektibo nito na alamin kung may epekto ba ng mga salik tulad ng Food

price inflation, Government Expenditures, at Out-of-pocket Expenditures. Para sa akin,

makakatulong itong mabigyan ng pansin ang mga lumalalang kaso ng mga kabataan. Isa itong

sigaw para maisaayos ang mga lumalalang suliranin sa bansa, partikular na ang mga suliranin sa

mga mahihirap na kabataan na nagiging sanhi ng hindi pagkakapantay-pantay na pagtrato.

FOUNDATION

This case study was drawn using literatures and other sources many of them are easy to

access like the data about Child mortality. This study was conducted by University of Sto.

Thomas. To make the analysis effective, the researchers used panel data consisting cross-

sectional and time series to run a panel regression for 16 regions from 2009-2013. Fixed effects

panel data regression models were utilized to examine the effects of the determinants to child

mortality. Many other sources are from DOH and UNICEF. The researchers gathered data from

different reliable departments related to the economic factors affecting child mortality some of

which were National Statistics Office (NSO), Philippine Health Insurance Incorporation

(PhilHealth), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Department of Health (DOH). The

dependent variable was child mortality measured by the number of child deaths per region. The

explanatory variables were food price inflation rate per annum, government e
GENERAL CRITIQUE

The Strength of this study is it promotes children mortality awareness. It contains

information about child mortality. It simply aims to determine the causes of children mortality in

different regions in the Philippines. The study has stated the three determinates namely food

price inflation, government expenditures, out-of-pocket expenditures. Each of these was studied

by the authors statistically with precision. The author has given appropriate foundation in this

study because this study contains various sources.

In my own opinion, the weakness of this study is it focuses only child mortality and it

doesnt really have much contribution on the Philippine economy. This study focuses so much on

child mortality stating many information about it. The study also uses only three determinants

which is for me good but there are also other determinants that can be used.
ANNOTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alkema L., New JR., Pedersen J.,& You D. (2014) Child Mortality Estimation 2013: An

Overview of Updates in Estimation Methods by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for

Child Mortality Estimation. PLoS ONE 9(7): e101112. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101112.

Anriquez, G., Dadione, S., & Mane, E. (2013). Rising Food Prices and Undernourishment: A

Cross-Country Inquiry. Food Policy, 38, 190-202.

Pediatric Admissions in District Hospitals in Kenya. Tropical Medicine & International Health,

17(8), 958-961.

Black, R., Allen, L., Bhutta, Z., Caulfield, L., de Onis, M., Ezzati, M., Mathers, C., & Rivera, J.

(2008). Maternal and Child under Nutrition: Global and Regional.

Bokhari, F., Gai, Y., & Gottret, P. (2007). Government Health Expenditures and Health

Outcomes. Health Economics, 272.

These references are used by the researchers that serves as their basis in express their aim

well. These contains facts and ideas about food price inflation, government expenditures, and

out-of-pocket expenditures. This references serves as the basis of the paper which made it more

precise and empirical.

ISSUES LISTED BY THE AUTHORS

Child mortality is one of the socioeconomic issues affecting the economic development

of a country that was measured by the probability of childs death before reaching the age of 5

out of 1,000 births. Most of the child deaths took place in the developing countries, such as the

Philippines. (Razum and Breckenkamp, 2007) From the years between 1990 and 2011, the

under-5 mortality annual rate reduction in Philippines was 3.8%. Responsive activities to diverse

disparities were needed to improve the health care of children who mostly lived in the poorest

and rural areas.

For the past two decades, the under-five mortality rate in the Philippines was reduced by

half. Recently, UNICEF reported that child mortality rate in year 2011 had dramatically

decreased where only 25 under the age of five out of 1,000 live births died. The rate declined to

55% from the 57 deaths of under-five age in the year 1990. The United Nations target for 2015

was to reduce it by two-thirds. This research aims to study the impact of food price inflation,

government expenditures on health and out-of-pocket expenditures on child mortality.

Furthermore, this study will provide the feasible courses of action that must be taken by the

government to reduce child mortality in the country especially in the rural areas.