Social, economic, and political factors in progress towards improving child survival in developing nations

Kristine Lykens, Karan P. Singh, Elewichi Ndukwe, Sejong Bae

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Child mortality is a persistent health problem faced by developing nations. In 2000 the United Nations (UN) established a set of high priority goals to address global problems of poverty and health, the Millennium Development Goals, which address extreme poverty, hunger, primary education, child mortality, maternal health, infectious diseases, environmental sustainability, and partnerships for development. Goal 4 aims to reduce by two thirds, between 2000 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2006 these rates have only been reduced from 167 per 1,000 live births to 157, and 27 nations in this region have made no progress towards the goal. A country-specific database was developed from the UN Millennium Development Goal tracking project and other international sources which include age distribution, undernutrition, per capita income, government expenditures on health, external resources for health, civil liberties, and political rights. A multiple regression analysis examined the extent to which these factors explain the variance in child mortality rates in developing countries. Nutrition, external resources, and per capita income were shown to be significant factors in child survivability. Policy options include developed countries' renewed commitment of resources, and developing nations' commitments towards governance, development, equity, and transparency.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-148
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
Volume20
Issue number4 SUPPL.
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2009

Keywords

  • Child health
  • Child mortality
  • Global health
  • Millennium Development Goals

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