Factors Affecting Under-Five Mortality in Sudan (1996-2006)

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the factors affecting child mortality in Sudan. It specifically examines how under-five mortality is related to the bio-demographic, socio-economic and household’s environmental characteristics such as age of mother at childbearing, if the birth is single or twin, preceding birth interval, sex of the child, order of birth, place of residence, mother’s educational level, fertility of women, household size, wealth index, source of drinking water, type of toilet facility, material of roof, material of floor and place for cooking and fuels for cooking. The study’s source of the data is Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS), which conducted in 2006. Since the dependent variable is the survival status of the child at the time of the survey (Alive/Dead), the data has been analyzed using logistic regression. Child mortality model has been estimated and found that the risk factors associated with under-five mortality in Sudan were age of mother at childbearing, if the birth is single or twin, preceding birth interval, source of drinking water, type of toilet facility and place for cooking and two interaction variables; twinity of births and fertility of women, and preceding birth interval and place of residence. Also, differentials in risk factors by North/South regions have been investigated and found that the risk factors associated with under-five mortality in North Sudan were age of mother at childbearing, if the birth is single or twin, preceding birth interval, fertility of women, source of drinking water and place for cooking while the risk factors in South Sudan were preceding birth interval, fertility of women, if the birth is single or twin and type of toilet Also, results revealed that the most risky factors affecting child mortality in Sudan were the bio-demographic and environmental factors.