Application of the microcomputer to the estimation of infant and childhood mortality by indirect techniques.

The availability of relatively inexpensive and reliable microcomputers has provided medical demographers with a useful tool for deriving estimates of vital rates through indirect techniques. This article discusses the application of the microcomputer to the estimation of infant and child mortality from survivorship statistics. The computer program developed for this task uses 2 approaches: 1) the classical Brass technique and 2) the Trusse variant of the Brass method which uses empirical schedules and gives time locations for the indices. The computer program estimates the probabilities of dying between birth and selected ages and gives the time location for each of these probabilities. 2 sets of output are given by this program. The 1st gives the users input data for total number of women number of children ever born number dead of children ever born and the computed proportion dead of children ever born. The 2nd gives (for selected ages) the Brass multiplying factors the probabilities of dying between birth and the selected ages for the Brass and Trusse methods and the time locations. It is expected that the microcomputer revolution will reach developing countries within the next 1-2 years and will have a significant impact on medical demography.