Levels, Trends and Determinants of Under-Five Mortality in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Evidence from Demographic and Health Survey (2000 - 2011)

Abstract

Children are the human resource banks of every nation. Above all, the first five years of life are the most
crucial to the physical and intellectual development of children and can determine their potential to learn
and thrive for a life time. Under-five mortality is a key indicator of social and economic development and
has received attention as a part of United Nations Millennium Development Goals. This is due to more
than any other age group of a population, children survival depends on the socio-economic condition. In
Amhara region under-five mortality remains one of the public health problems. Although the region has
made remarkable progress in reducing under-five mortality over decades it still remains high. The
objective of this study is thus to assess the levels, trends and determinants of under-five mortality in
Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. The source of data comes from the three nationally
representative Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2000, 2005 and 2011. A total of
8,479 children included in this study. Of these children 3,202, 2,621 and 2,656 were from 2000, 2005 and
2011 surveys, respectively. The analysis tools used include both descriptive and inferential statistics. The
finding of the descriptive statistics indicates that under-five mortality was declining over the period 2000
to 2011. Moreover, the result of multivariable analysis revealed that the hazards of under-five mortality
were found to be significant for male, children born from illiterate and primary school mothers, children
born outside marital union, mothers who do not use contraceptive and household without access to
improved water. Thus, the result suggests that support system geared towards improving access and
choices to women secondary educational training, integrating family planning with child survival
programmes and improving sources of drinking water can reduce the existing high under-five mortality
rate in the region.