Risk Factors for Under-5 Mortality: Evidence From Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys

Fikrewold Bitew , University of Texas at San Antonio
Patrice Sparks, University of Texas at San Antonio

About 472,000 Ethiopian children die each year before their fifth birthday, ranking Ethiopia sixth among the countries of the world in terms of the absolute number of child deaths. While the under-5 mortality rate in Ethiopia has declined by two-thirds from 204/1,000 live births in 1990 to 58/1,000 live births in 2016, the rate is still one of the highest among Sub-Sharan African countries. In this study, we used data from the 2011 & 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys to examine factors that affect neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality. Cox-proportional hazard models showed that children under 5 who were male, born from widowed/divorced/separated mothers who never used modern contraceptives, had a fifth or above birth rank, were born in health facilities without a cesarean session, or never received postnatal care or TT vaccinations had a significantly higher risk of dying. Findings were similar for neonatal and infant mortality.

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 Presented in Session 5. Health & Mortality 1