Determinants of Infant and Child Mortality in Malakal in Upper Nile State, South Sudan

Abstract

This study sought to establish the determinants of infant and child mortality in Malakal. The study used primary data collected from a random sample of 1317 women in the reproductive age (15-49 years) in Malakal. Descriptive statistics, direct method of estimation and multivariate Cox regression analysis were the methods of data analysis. The Bivariate analysis findings showed that mother’s education, mother’s employment, family income, parity, birth order, preceding birth interval, source of drinking water, type of toilet facility, type of floor of the house, place of delivery and duration of breastfeeding were significantly associated with both infant and child mortality. Age of the mother at first birth and source of cooking fuel were significantly associated with child mortality. The multivariate Cox regression analysis results showed that place of delivery, duration of breastfeeding and family income were significantly associated with both infant and child mortality. Besides, mother’s employment, zone of residence, parity, birth order and sex of the infant were significantly associated with infant mortality. Mother’s employment, source of cooking fuel and type of floor of the house were significantly associated with child mortality. In addition, age of the mother at firth birth, preceding birth interval, and source of drinking water were also significantly associated with child mortality. The study recommends for policy that preceding birth intervals should be longer, increase maternity leave for employed mothers in order to improve breastfeeding status, use of improved water supply, use of clean fuels for cooking, and increase preventive and therapeutic medical interferences to risk zones (northern and central), mothers aged 30+ years should be encouraged to attend antenatal care and encourage delivery of babies at health facilities. The study also recommends that further research is needed, using qualitative methods, on infant and child mortality so as to discover other factors influencing infant and child mortality in Malakal and to provide insights into the pathways of influence.