Abstract
Background: To estimate and quantify spatial effects of childhood mortality using data from a household survey and accounting for the impact of conflict and other potential correlates in DRC.
Methods: Data on mortality of children from the DRC was available from a national representative cross-sectional household sample. Participants were 8,992 children under (U5) with 1005 observed deaths from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey.
Results: The 30 percent decrease of under-five mortality observed between 2001 and 2007 masks large provincial variations and a north-east south divide due to the ongoing conflicts. The unadjusted analysis indicates that the overall risk of a child death is higher even in provinces not affected by conflicts. In multivariate analysis, higher odds of deaths were associated with shorter birth intervals ≤ 24 months [1.14 (1.04, 1.26)], children born at home [1.13 (1.01, 1.27)] or children living with a single mother [1.16 (1.03, 1.33)]. There were significant spatial variations showing high mortality risk by geographic location except for North Kivu.
Conclusion: The study provides evidence of high U5 mortality in DRC which is unexplained by the ongoing conflict and other factors considered. U5 mortality maps point to a lack of progress toward the Millennium Development Goal4.
Methods: Data on mortality of children from the DRC was available from a national representative cross-sectional household sample. Participants were 8,992 children under (U5) with 1005 observed deaths from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey.
Results: The 30 percent decrease of under-five mortality observed between 2001 and 2007 masks large provincial variations and a north-east south divide due to the ongoing conflicts. The unadjusted analysis indicates that the overall risk of a child death is higher even in provinces not affected by conflicts. In multivariate analysis, higher odds of deaths were associated with shorter birth intervals ≤ 24 months [1.14 (1.04, 1.26)], children born at home [1.13 (1.01, 1.27)] or children living with a single mother [1.16 (1.03, 1.33)]. There were significant spatial variations showing high mortality risk by geographic location except for North Kivu.
Conclusion: The study provides evidence of high U5 mortality in DRC which is unexplained by the ongoing conflict and other factors considered. U5 mortality maps point to a lack of progress toward the Millennium Development Goal4.
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Event ID
17
Paper presenter
48 249
Type of Submissions
Regular session presentation, if not selected I agree to present my paper as a poster
Language of Presentation
English
Initial First Choice
Initial Second Choice
Weight in Programme
1 000
Status in Programme
1