Determinants of birth registration of children under 5 years in Uganda

Abstract

Background: In Uganda, only about one-third (32%) of children under age 5 have their births registered with the civil authority. There is limited information on factors linked to birth registration in Uganda. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with birth registration in Uganda. Methods: Data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 were analyzed. The study sample comprised only women from 16,206 households who had children ͱ45 years, selected using two-stage stratified sampling with probability proportional to size. A logistic regression model was used to study the determinants of birth registration. Results: The overall coverage of birth registration was 32.7%. Child's age, health-care provider, ownership of a radio or mobile phone, and region of residence were significantly associated with birth registration. On the contrary, relationship to the household head, age of the household head, television ownership, wealth index, and residence had no association with birth registration status. Conclusion: Birth registration is relatively still low in Uganda. The Government of Uganda should bring the birth registration services closer to health facilities, especially low-level health centers. The government should utilize mobile phone and radio technologies to promote and sensitize communities about birth registration due to their mass coverage and positive association with birth registration.

Keywords

• Birth registration
• mass media
• Uganda