The Integrated Spatial Pattern of Child Mortality during the 2012–2016 Drought in La Guajira, Colombia

Diana Contreras

doi:10.3390/su11247190

Abstract

The El Niño phenomenon in 2012 triggered a drought in La Guajira, Colombia that extended until 2016. In this period, the average child mortality rate in the area reached 23.4 out of 1000. The aim of this paper is to identify the integrated spatial pattern (ISP) of a single indicator in this case; child mortality. At the same time, the ISP identifies causes and priority areas for action. The socio-economic vulnerability (SEV) variables and spatial indicators related to child mortality were selected from the literature review and through meetings, workshops, and interviews with the affected community during fieldwork. Using correlation analysis and stepwise regression, the SEV variables with more accountability in child mortality during the drought were identified: Households with a monthly income of less than 100 USD, the number of people older than 65, and the number of people younger than 5 years old. Allocating weights to the SEV variables according to their degree of accountability in child mortality, its ISP has been identified. The far north of La Guajira was detected as the area most affected by child mortality and was, therefore, the priority zone for implementing actions focused on generating new sources of income.

Highlights

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child mortality includes neonatal mortality, under-five mortality and the mortality of children between five and fourteen
The outstanding progress in reducing the amount of child mortality worldwide is reflected in a child mortality rate of one in twenty-six children who died before reaching age five by 2018, compared to the 1990s, when the same rate was one in eleven [1]
The aim of this paper is to identify the integrated spatial pattern (ISP) of child mortality for La Guajira, Colombia

Summary

Introduction

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child mortality includes neonatal mortality, under-five mortality and the mortality of children between five and fourteen. The outstanding progress in reducing the amount of child mortality worldwide is reflected in a child mortality rate of one in twenty-six children who died before reaching age five by 2018, compared to the 1990s, when the same rate was one in eleven [1]. The estimated child mortality rate in Colombia was 16.8 deaths of children out of 1000 born alive in 2016, showing an annual downward variation of −1.76% with respect to 2015 [2]. In contrast to the rest of the country, the child mortality rates in La Guajira (Colombia) reached an average of 23.4 out of 1000 born alive [3], above the national rate, by 2016. The motivation for this research is to call the attention of the academic community to the consequences of climate change in one region in Latin America, considering that currently most of the attention is focused on the affected areas in Africa and Asia

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