Trends, Age Patterns, and Determinants of Early Childhood Mortality in Kenya (English)

Document Type

Further Analysis

Publication Topic(s)

Infant and Child Mortality

Country(s)

Kenya

Language

English

Author(s)

Walter Obungu and Paul M. Kizito and George Bicego and Macro International Inc. Calverton, Maryland, USA

Publication Date

May 1994

Publication ID

FA12

Abstract:

Kenya is among the most heterogeneous of African nations. Rich ethnic and linguistic diversity, and sharp climatic and ecological variation characterize this country of about 23 million people. It is true that marked regional and socioeconomic variations remain regarding the health and survival of Kenya's children (NCPD/IRD, 1989). While comparison of recent estimates from the 1989 Kenya DHS with those of the 1977/78 Keny Fertility Survey suggest a significant improvement in child survival prospects over the last decade, nearly 1 in 10 Kenyan children still do not live to see their 5th birthday. Efforts to sustain the decline in childhood mortality and the policies on which those efforts hinge may be facilitated by detailed information regarding changes in mortality risk over time and the distribution of mortality risk across social, economic, environmental, and biodemographic characteristics of the population.