An analysis of determinants of under-5 mortality across countries: defining priorities to achieve targets in sustainable developmental goals
Abstract
Objectives The end of the era of millennium development goals (MDGs) ushered in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) with a new target for the reduction of under-five mortality rates (U5MR). Although U5MR decreased globally, the reduction was insufficient to meet MDGs targets because significant socioeconomic inequities remain unaddressed across and within countries. Thus, further progress in achieving the new SDGs target will be hindered if there is no adequate prioritization of important socioeconomic, healthcare, and environmental factors. The objective of this study was to assess factors that account most for the differences in U5MR between countries around the globe. Methods We conducted an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression-based prioritization analysis of socioeconomic, healthcare, and environmental variables from 109 countries to understand which factors explain the differences in U5MR best. Results All indicators examined individually affected differences in U5MR between countries. However, the results of multivariate OLS regression showed that the most important factors that accounted for the differences were, in order: fertility rate, total health expenditure per capita, access to improved water and sanitation, and female employment rate. Conclusions To achieve the new global target for U5MR, policymakers must focus on certain priority areas, such as interventions that address access to affordable maternal healthcare services, educational programs for mothers, especially those who are adolescents, and safe drinking water and sanitation.
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Poor WASH is linked to a multitude of health burdens, particularly childhood diseases including schistosomiasis, under-5 mortality, and stunting.
“Poor WASH, in general, was linked to a multitude of health burdens, and particularly childhood diseases, including schistosomiasis, under-5 mortality, and stunting (Ahmed et al., 2016;Atalabi et al., 2016;Acheampong et al., 2017Acheampong et al., , 2018;;Akombi et al., 2017;Donohue et al., 2017;Vos et al., 2017;Baker et al., 2018;Marinda et al., 2018).”
From A Systematic Review of Water and Gender Interlinkages: Assessing the Intersection With Health (2020) · cites this paper as Acheampong et al., 2017
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A Systematic Review of Water and Gender Interlinkages: Assessing the Intersection With Health
Pouramin, P., Nagabhatla, N., & Miletto, M. (2020) · Frontiers in Water · doi:10.3389/frwa.2020.00006 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
“…studies showed that maternal, or household access to clean water significantly reduced the risk of under-five mortality (Ahmed et al., 2016; Acheampong et al., 2017, 2018), child stunting (Akombi et al., 2017; Vos et al., 2017; Marinda et al., 2018), schistosomiasis (Atalabi et al., 2016;…”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Acheampong, M., Ejiofor, C., & Salinas-Miranda, A.
- Affiliations
- University of South Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Acheampong, Michael
- ORCID
- Ejiofor, Chukwudi
- Venue
- Maternal and Child Health Journal
- Published
- 2017-02-02
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1428-1447
- ISSN
- 1092-7875 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6628
- OpenAlex
- W2601003087
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 2.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- erratum (2017-02-27)
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Maternal and Child Health Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- under-five mortality, determinants of child mortality, Sustainable Development Goals, Millennium Development Goals, socioeconomic inequities, fertility rate, per capita health expenditure, female employment rate, maternal care, adolescent motherhood
- MeSH terms
- Sustainable Growth, Cause of Death, Child, Preschool, Female, Goals, Health Status Indicators, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Global Health, Child Mortality, Health Literacy, Social Determinants of Health
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