Birth rate and public health expenditure: An analysis of the Ecuadorian case

Abstract

The number of inhabitants has grown constantly, demonstrating the ability to provide health services with the initiative and support of the State. The objective of the research was to identify the evolution of the birth rate and public health spending in the Ecuadorian economy during the period 2000-2021. The research methodology was non-experimental design, bibliographic review method and quantitative approach, time series regression analysis was applied. The results showed that the 1\% increase in health spending contributed to the decrease in the infant mortality rate by 0.17 points, which promoted an increase in life expectancy. The conclusions determined that, despite the indirect relationship of the variants, the dynamics were complex with implications for access to family planning and the formulation of public policies that cover the territory, especially those most vulnerable.