Effects of government programs and fertility on child mortality in the brazilian Semiarid region

ABSTRACT It was aimed to evaluate the impact of the social programs: Bolsa Família Program and Family Health Strategy and fertility on child mortality in the brazilian Semiarid, during the period 2005-2010. The multivariate linear regression model of panel data with fixed effects was applied, using the Infant Mortality Rate as the dependent variable; and, as independents, the coverage of Bolsa Família and its conditionalities, coverage of the Family Health Strategy and the Fertility Rate. The public actions of the Programs, as well as the reduction of fertility levels, have greatly contributed to the decrease in infant mortality rates in the Semiarid.