In all poor countries, malnutrition and infectious diseases are the major biological processes leading to child deaths.

Part I. Introduction and Conceptual Framework: 1. Child survival: research and policy W. Henry Mosley; 2. An analytical framework for the study of child survival in developing countries W. Henry Mosley and Lincoln C. Chen; Part II. Intervening Variables: Nutrition: 3. Malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality Reynaldo Martorell and Teresa J. Ho; 4. Measurement of dietary intake Kenneth H. Brown; 5. Breastfeeding performance and child survival Sandra L. Huffman and Barbara B. Lamphere; Part III. Intervening Variables: Infectious and Parasitic Diseases: 6. Immunizable and respiratory diseases and child mortality Stanley O. Foster; 7. Diarrheal diseases and child morbidity and mortality Robert E. Black; 8. Parasitic diseases: measurement and mortality impact David J. Bradley and Anne Keymer; Part IV. Socioeconomic Variables: 9. Effects of maternal education, women's roles, and child care on child mortality Helen Ware; 10. Studying the impact of household economic and community variables on child mortality T. Paul Schultz; 11. Technology and child survival: the example of sanitary engineering John Briscoe; Part V. Case Studies: 12. Determinants of child mortality: a study of squatter settlements in Jordan Belgin Tekce and Frederic C. Shorter; 13. Intervention projects and the study of socioeconomic determinants of mortality Anne R. Pebley; 14. A household survey of child mortality determinants in Malaysia Julie DaVanzo; Part VI. Analytical Methods: 15. Estimating levels, trends, and determinants of child mortality in countries with poor statistics James Trussell and Jane Menken; 16. Mathematical models of infectious diseases: seeking new tools for planning and evaluating control programs Burton Singer; 17. Modeling resource allocation for child survival Howard N. Barnum and Robin Barlow.