Infant mortality rate in the Philippines declined to 29 deaths among children below 1 year old per 1,000 live births during the period 1998-2002. There were 35 deaths per 1,000 live births during the period 1993-1997. Mortality rate among children below 5 years old also declined to 40 deaths per 1,000 live births from 48 deaths per 1,000 live births. These are among the highlights of the preliminary findings from the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the National Statistics Office in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ORC Macro.

The decrease in infant and under-five mortality may be attributed to improved maternal health care received by most Filipino mothers. In the 2003 NDHS, 88 percent of women with children under 5 years old admitted to having received prenatal care from a doctor, midwife or nurse during their pregnancy with their youngest child. In the 1998 NDHS there were only around 86 percent.

An increase in the percentage of births delivered in health facilities, such as hospitals, clinics and health centers, was also noted. In the 2003 NDHS, 38 percent of children below 5 years old were reportedly born in health facilities compared with 34 percent in the 1998 NDHS. Consequently, the percentage of births in the five years prior to the survey who were attended by health professionals was higher in the 2003 NDHS (60 percent) than in the 1998 NDHS (56 percent). Based on the preliminary results from the 2003 NDHS, hilots or traditional birth attendants attended to around 40 percent of birth deliveries during the five-year period preceding the survey.

The 2003 NDHS also revealed a slight improvement in tetanus toxoid coverage. Preliminary survey results showed that 71 percent of women with children below 5 years old received at least one tetanus toxoid injection during pregnancy with their youngest child. The 1998 NDHS figure is approximately 69 percent. Prescribed number of tetanus toxoid injections given to the mother during pregnancy protects her child from neonatal tetanus, a frequent cause of infant deaths when sterile procedures are not observed in cutting the umbilical cord following delivery.

Child health care is also of primary concern as the percentage of children aged 12-23 months who were fully immunized before reaching age one sloped downward from 65 percent in 1998 to only 60 percent in 2003. Statistics on breastfeeding practices of Filipino mothers is also on the downtrend as the percentage of children under two months old who were exclusively breastfed was only 53 percent in the preliminary results of the 2003 NDHS. The figure is lower than what was recorded in 1998, which is at 58 percent.

The 2003 NDHS is the eighth in a series of demographic surveys being conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) every five years. The survey aims to collect data on fertility levels; fertility preferences; marriage and sexual activities; knowledge and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices; childhood mortality; and, maternal and child health. The 2003 NDHS also included questions that seek to determine the level of awareness and behavior of the respondents on AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections as well as their knowledge, attitude and health-seeking behavior on tuberculosis. Respondents to the survey were 13,633 women 15 to 49 years old and 4,766 men 15 to 54 years old.