Neighbourhood characteristics and under-five mortality in Nigeria

Abstract

Despite global decline in childhood mortality, under-5 mortality remains high in Nigeria. While many studies have reported individual level factors as important determinants of under-five mortality in Nigeria, similar studies on the effects of neighbourhood contexts have been minimal. Hence, this study examines the effects of neighbourhood contexts on under-5 mortality in Nigeria. Using 2003 and 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, multilevel Cox regression analysis was performed on a nationally representative sample of 6,028 children (2003 NDHS) and 28,647 children (2008 NDHS). Results indicated neighbourhood context as important factor for child survival.For instance, findings showed that being born or raised in poor neighbourhoods (HR:1.54,p<0.05), rural communities (HR:1.25,p<0.05), and North-eastern region of Nigeria (HR:1.56,p<0.05) was associated with elevated hazards of death before age 5. Findings of this study suggest that achieving improved neighbourhood contexts holds great potentials for acceleration of under-five mortality reduction in Nigeria.