Bayesian zero-inflated regression model with application to under-five child mortality

Under-five mortality is defined as the likelihood of a child born alive to die between birth and fifth birthday. Mortality of under the age of five has been the most targets of public health policies and may be a common indicator of mortality levels. Thus, this study aimed to assess the under-five child mortality and modeling Bayesian zero-inflated regression model of the determinants of under-five child mortality. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey data. The sample was stratified and selected in a two-stage cluster sampling design. The Bayesian analytic approach was applied to model the mixture arrangement inherent in zero-inflated count data by using the negative Binomial-logit hurdle model. About 71.09% of the mothers had not faced any under-five deaths in their lifetime while 28.91% of the women experienced the death of their under-five children and the data were found to have excess zeros. From Bayesian Negative Binomial-logit hurdle model it was found that twin (OR = 1.56; HPD CrI 1.23, 1.94), Primary and Secondary education (OR = 0.68; HPD CrI 0.59, 0.79), mother's age at the first birth: 16-25 (OR = 0.83; HPD CrI 0.75, 0.92) and >= 26 (OR = 0.71; HPD CrI 0.52, 0.95), using contraceptive method (OR = 0.73; HPD CrI 0.64, 0.84) and antenatal visits during pregnancy (OR = 0.83; HPD CrI 0.75, 0.92) were statistically associated with the number of non-zero under-five deaths in Ethiopia. The finding from the Bayesian Negative Binomial-logit hurdle model is getting popular in data analysis than the Negative Binomial-logit hurdle model because the technique is more robust and precise. Furthermore, Using the Bayesian Negative Binomial-logit hurdle model helps in selecting the most significant factor: mother's education, Mothers age, Birth order, type of birth, mother's age at the first birth, using a contraceptive method, and antenatal visits during pregnancy were the most important determinants of under-five child mortality.