Risk Factors for Child Mortality in the Kassena-Nankana District of Northern Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Population-Based Data.

Michael N K Babayara,Bright Addo

doi:10.1155/2018/7692379

Michael N K Babayara, Bright Addo

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7692379

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Journal: Scientifica	Publication Date: Aug 1, 2018
Citations: 17	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: 37 Military Hospital, University of Ghana

Abstract

Child mortality continues to be a major public health problem in Ghana, especially in northern Ghana where child survival rates are among the lowest. Though strategies are in place to address it, progress made is unsatisfactory and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 risks being missed. This makes the reexamination of the risk factors for child mortality crucial as results will aid in the modification of existing strategies aimed at addressing the problem. This study was a population-based case control study utilizing data (2007–2011) from the Demographic Surveillance System database of the Navrongo Health Research Center. Cases and controls were selected from the database and analysed unmatched. Cases were children who died before age five and controls were live children within the same year group. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed using STATA (v13). The results revealed the main causes of death in the area to include malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, and malnutrition. Mother's age at birth, mother's educational level, and mother's household socioeconomic status were significantly related to child mortality. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the known risk factors for child mortality in the Kassena-Nankana district have not changed much over the years. Current child survival strategies therefore need to be evaluated and modified where necessary to yield desired results.

Highlights

Child mortality continues to be a major public health problem in Ghana, especially in northern Ghana where child survival rates are among the lowest. ough strategies are in place to address it, progress made is unsatisfactory and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 risks being missed. is makes the reexamination of the risk factors for child mortality crucial as results will aid in the modification of existing strategies aimed at addressing the problem. is study was a population-based case control study utilizing data (2007–2011) from the Demographic Surveillance System database of the Navrongo Health Research Center
A total of 15745 children aged between 1 month and 5 years were captured in the Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) database between January 1997 and December 2011, and 967 (6.14%) of them died before age five, giving a child mortality rate of 61.4 per 1000 live births over the period
Majority (89.5%) of the deaths were reported from rural areas, and most (55.2%) of these deaths occurred at home. e distribution of deaths varied according to seasons, with majority (60.3%) occurring during the wet season (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Is makes the reexamination of the risk factors for child mortality crucial as results will aid in the modification of existing strategies aimed at addressing the problem. 1. Introduction e death of children before their 5th birthday still remains a major public health priority [1]. In 2016, the region recorded an estimated average mortality rate of 79 per 1,000 live births. Is notwithstanding, the UNICEF suggests that progress is being made in all countries towards addressing the problem since the global average has dropped from 93 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 41 per 1000 in 2016, a 56.0% decline [3]. At the current rate of improvement, the Sustainable Development Goal on child mortality is likely to be missed [3]

Methods

Results

Conclusion