Under-five mortality and associated factors in southeastern Ethiopia

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Millions of children under five die annually, predominantly in developing nations.
• Limited data availability hinders reliable estimation of child mortality in resource-limited settings.
• Under-five mortality remains a critical public health challenge in many developing countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of under-five mortality in southeastern Ethiopia.
• To identify factors associated with under-five mortality among admitted children.
• To provide data for targeted interventions to reduce child mortality.

Main Methods:

• A register-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Asella Teaching and Referral Hospital from 2014 to 2019.
• Data from 4901 children under five with complete records were analyzed.
• Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression to identify predictors of mortality.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of under-five mortality was 8.7% (95% CI 7.91-9.50%).
• Significant predictors included address, HIV status, severe acute malnutrition, hypovolemic shock, type I diabetes with DKA, and short hospital stays (≤4 days).
• A substantial proportion (45.2%) of deaths occurred within the first two days of admission.

Conclusions:

• Despite improvements in healthcare access, under-five mortality in the study area remains high.
• Early mortality within the hospital highlights critical areas for intervention.
• Enhancing the quality of healthcare services is crucial for reducing mortality and managing associated risk factors.