Levels of deprivation in child wellbeing in East Africa

Child wellbeing has mostly been identified and measured using uni-dimensional approaches which overlook the multidimensional nature and severity of child deprivation. This study uses a multi-dimensional measure of child deprivation that enables comparison of levels in child deprivation across countries. The study uses DHS data and the focus is on four East Africa countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda). Deprivation is assessed for three age groups (0-4, 5-14 and 15-16) using five dimensions: basic health, water and sanitation, nutrition, education, and social protection. Results at uni-dimensional level show that child protection and health dimensions have the highest deprivation level while nutrition and water/sanitation have the least deprivation level. Children aged 0-4 are least deprived while children aged 15-18 are the most deprived. Results at multi-dimensional level show that Rwanda has the least deprivation level while Uganda has the highest among the three age-groups. The findings demonstrate that child deprivation is high in the region and is a function of multiple health-related dimensions. In order to reduce deprivation, there is need to roll out complex (multi-dimension) intervention programs across the study countries.