Child mortality rates fall short of target

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Socioeconomic Studies
• Poverty Research

Background:

• Child mortality reduction targets by the year 2000 face significant challenges.
• Rising absolute poverty rates present a major obstacle to improving child survival globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the likelihood of achieving global under-five mortality reduction targets by 2000.
• To analyze the impact of increasing absolute poverty on child mortality rates.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a report by the charity ACTIONAID.
• Review of global mortality statistics and poverty data.

Main Results:

• Worldwide attempts to cut mortality rates in the under-fives by the year 2000 will almost certainly fail.
• An additional 26 million people fall into absolute poverty each year, hindering progress.

Conclusions:

• Urgent interventions are needed to address both poverty and child mortality.
• Current global strategies are insufficient to meet child survival goals without addressing socioeconomic factors.