Determinants of adolescent mortality in South Africa, 2006 -2009

Despite adolescents (10- 19 year olds) having the lowest mortality compared to older and younger age groups in the country, the mortality rate of this age-group is increasing. Prominent broad- underlying and immediate causes of death have varied very little over the period. What remains unclear is the determinants of these causes of death among South African adolescents. This paper is a study of the determinants of adolescent mortality in South Africa. Data from the South African Death Registry is used (2006- 2009). Cause-specific mortality rates and proportional mortality ratios are used. Logistic regression is then used to infer the odds of adolescent mortality by specific demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results paper include that occurrences of mortality due to ‘Tuberculosis’ and ‘ill- defined and unknown causes’ are high among adolescents. Further this paper has found that female adolescents are at greater odds of natural or disease mortality than males. However, females are at lower odds of unnatural and violence related causes of death. Also, marriage decreases the odds of mortality.