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Modifiable factors for prevention of childhood mortality

Vidushi Mahajan1, Amarpreet Kaur, Amit Sharma

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, India. Correspondence to: Dr Vidushi Mahajan, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, India. vidushimahajan2003@yahoo.co.in.

Indian Pediatrics
|September 4, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pneumonia, CNS infections, and diarrhea are leading causes of child mortality in North India. Administrative, family, and medical personnel issues are significant modifiable factors contributing to these deaths.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Child mortality remains a significant public health concern in low-resource settings.
  • Identifying disease-specific causes and modifiable factors is crucial for effective intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the primary disease-related causes of mortality in hospitalized children aged over one month to 18 years.
  • To identify socially modifiable factors contributing to child mortality in a North Indian referral hospital.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of hospital records (n=487) from March 2003 to June 2012 for causes of death (ICD-10).
  • Prospective study of modifiable factors in 107 consecutive child deaths from October 2011 to June 2012.

Main Results:

  • Pneumonia, central nervous system (CNS) infections, and diarrhea were identified as the most frequent disease-related causes of child mortality.
  • Among modifiable factors, administrative issues were most prevalent, followed by family-related reasons and medical personnel-related problems.

Conclusions:

  • Addressing administrative, family, and medical personnel-related issues alongside medical treatment is essential for reducing child mortality.
  • Interventions targeting these modifiable factors can complement disease-specific treatments to improve child survival rates.
Abstract

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