BMC Public Health (Jan 2021)

Household factors and under-five mortality in Bankass, Mali: results from a cross-sectional survey

  • David C. Boettiger,
  • Emily Treleaven,
  • Kassoum Kayentao,
  • Mahamadou Guindo,
  • Mama Coumaré,
  • Ari D. Johnson,
  • Caroline Whidden,
  • Naimatou Koné,
  • Amadou Beydi Cissé,
  • Nancy Padian,
  • Jenny Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10242-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Background Rural parts of Mali carry a disproportionate burden of the country’s high under-five mortality rate. A range of household factors are associated with poor under-five health in resource-limited settings. However, it is unknown which most influence the under-five mortality rate in rural Mali. We aimed to describe household factors associated with under-five mortality in Bankass, a remote region in central Mali. Methods We analysed baseline household survey data from a trial being conducted in Bankass. The survey was administered to households between December 2016 and January 2017. Under-five deaths in the five years prior to baseline were documented along with detailed information on household factors and women’s birth histories. Factors associated with under-five mortality were analysed using Cox regression. Results Our study population comprised of 17,408 under-five children from 8322 households. In the five years prior to baseline, the under-five mortality rate was 152.6 per 1000 live births (158.8 and 146.0 per 1000 live births for males and females, respectively). Living a greater distance from a primary health center was associated with a higher probability of under-five mortality for both males (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.53 for ≥10 km versus < 2 km, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25–1.88) and females (aHR 1.59 for ≥10 km versus < 2 km, 95% CI 1.27–1.99). Under-five male mortality was additionally associated with lower household wealth quintile (aHR 1.47 for poorest versus wealthiest, 95%CI 1.21–1.78), lower reading ability among women of reproductive age in the household (aHR 1.73 for cannot read versus can read, 95%CI 1.04–2.86), and living in a household with access to electricity (aHR 1.16 for access versus no access, 95%CI 1.00–1.34). Conclusions U5 mortality is very high in Bankass and is associated with living a greater distance from healthcare and several other household factors that may be amenable to intervention or facilitate program targeting.

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