Socio-economic factors affecting child mortality in hill tracts of chattogram division, Bangladesh

This study attempts to examine the influential factors causing under-5 child mortality (U5CM) in Hill Tracts of Chattogram division, Bangladesh, with a view to providing recommendations for redressing its ratio. It finds that the death of male children is 52.5% while the death of female children is 47.5%. For families which are financially troubled, pneumonia or other respiratory diseases are the prominent causes of death [19%]. The lack of sanitary facilities is another vital factor behind pneumonia mortality [22%]. About 24% of deaths in urban areas occur due to respiratory diseases or pneumonia, while 25% are ascribed to other causes. The chi-square test explores that there is a positive association between under-5 mortality in above mentioned covariates such as, residence, level of education, economic status, birth attendant, and sanitation facility except the mother’s education and the water resource. The multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that sanitation facilities, economic status, and birth attendants are significant to U5CM. There is a significant relationship between pneumonia or respiratory and economic status. Moreover, sanitation facility is associated with malnutrition. The study results reveal that several socioeconomic, demographic, and health-related variables affect these causes of death.