Date Presented

Winter 12-6-2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Communication Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Messerschmidt

Second Advisor

Dr. Kyper

Third Advisor

Professor Schnur

Abstract

The health status of nations has been and continues to be under debate. Although the variables that comprise such a status have not been solidified, one variable that is closely studied and is thought to have an effect on the idea of health status is infant mortality. A country’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is treated as an indicator of its health status as well as socioeconomic status. This research attempts to study the variables which are hypothesized to be significant in relation to IMR, and to find which ones truly have an effect. Data on eight independent variables were collected from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook as well as the United Nation’s Human Development Report. The data were grouped and studied using the E-views regression program. The program performs statistical regressions and presents descriptive statistics applicable to the study. The data was then reviewed and scrutinized based on statistical criterion. The study’s findings indicate that the most significant variables affecting infant mortality across countries as a whole are life expectancy at birth, percentage of adults in the country living with HIV/AIDs, income per capita, the percentage of the population without a sanitary water source, and health expenditures per capita. The statistical results suggest that life expectancy has the greatest effect on a country’s infant mortality rate.

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