Factors Related to Deaths of under 5 Years Old Children in Dar Alsalam Area-Khartoum-Sudan

Aims: This study is done to identify factors affecting under five mortality in Dar Alsalam area, Khartoum.

Study Design: This is a community based cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in block 25 in Dar Alsalam area in Khartoum State during March- April 2012.

Methodology: A total of 240 women in reproductive age who had an experience of child death were interviewed. The data was collected by semi-final medical students using structured questionnaire. Two stage cluster sampling was used to select the households. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with under-five mortality.

Results: Age of 156 (65%) of the deceased children was less than one year, while the age of 84 (35%) was between one and five years. The age of (25%) of the mother at the time of their child birth was below 18 years. The majority of the mothers (70.8%) were illiterate, 74.2% were working and 80% were married. Of the children 51.7 were males and for 74.2% of them the birth interval was less than 2 years. Only 16.7% were breast fed for more than two years while the rest (83.3%) were breast fed up to 2years. Only 34.2% of the deceased children had completed their vaccination, and 68.3% had been admitted to hospital more than once before death.

Half of the families have piped water in their houses, in 75.8% of the houses there are pit latrines and in 68.3% there is electricity supply.

Logistic regression analysis identified incomplete vaccination, not employed mothers and having no latrines in the house as the factors related to the death of children between 1-5 years than those below one year.

Conclusion: Under-five mortality in low socioeconomic areas is associated with Low family income, mother’s illiteracy, early marriage and absence of latrines in the houses.