What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?

Substantial declines in infant and under-5 mortality have taken place in recent years in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya's infant mortality rate has fallen by 7.6 percent per year, the fastest rate of decline among the 20 countries in the region for which recent Demographic and Hea...

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Main Authors: Demombynes, Gabriel, Trommlerová, Sofia Karina
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6580
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recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-65802021-04-23T14:02:38Z What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya? Demombynes, Gabriel Trommlerová, Sofia Karina aged aging anemia prenatal care prenatal clinics antimalarial drugs Back Malaria child deaths child health Child Mortality child survival clinics Cost Effectiveness decision making declines in mortality diarrhea Disease drug treatment drugs educated mothers health facilities HIV/AIDS hygiene immunization infant health Infant Mortality infection rate iron supplements labor markets living standards low birth weight malaria Maternal and Child Health measles medical facilities Millennium Development Goal Neonatal mortality nutrition Parasitology pit latrines polio postneonatal mortality pregnancy safe water sanitation tetanus Tropical Medicine Tuberculosis urban areas vaccination campaign vector control World Health Organization Substantial declines in infant and under-5 mortality have taken place in recent years in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya's infant mortality rate has fallen by 7.6 percent per year, the fastest rate of decline among the 20 countries in the region for which recent Demographic and Health Survey data is available. Kenya's rate of postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births fell by more than half over a five-year period, dropping from 47 to 22, as measured using data from the 2003 and 2008-09 Demographic and Health Surveys. Among the possible causes of the decline are various targeted new public health initiatives and improved access to water and sanitation. A Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition using Demographic and Health Survey data shows that the increased ownership of insecticide-treated bednets in endemic malaria zones explains 39 percent of the decline in postneonatal mortality and 58 percent of the decline in infant mortality. Changes in other observable candidate factors do not explain substantial portions of the decline. The portion of the decline not explained may be associated with generalized trends such as the overall improvement in living standards that has taken place with economic growth. The widespread ownership of insecticide-treated bednets in areas of Kenya where malaria is rare suggests that better targeting of insecticide-treated bednet provision programs could improve the cost-effectiveness of such programs. 2012-05-29T18:26:07Z 2012-05-29T18:26:07Z 2012-05 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6580 en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6057 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Africa Kenya
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language en_US
topic aged
aging
anemia
prenatal care
prenatal clinics
antimalarial drugs
Back Malaria
child deaths
child health
Child Mortality
child survival
clinics
Cost Effectiveness
decision making
declines in mortality
diarrhea
Disease
drug treatment
drugs
educated mothers
health facilities
HIV/AIDS
hygiene
immunization
infant health
Infant Mortality
infection rate
iron supplements
labor markets
living standards
low birth weight
malaria
Maternal and Child Health
measles
medical facilities
Millennium Development Goal
Neonatal mortality
nutrition
Parasitology
pit latrines
polio
postneonatal mortality
pregnancy
safe water
sanitation
tetanus
Tropical Medicine
Tuberculosis
urban areas
vaccination campaign
vector control
World Health Organization
spellingShingle aged
aging
anemia
prenatal care
prenatal clinics
antimalarial drugs
Back Malaria
child deaths
child health
Child Mortality
child survival
clinics
Cost Effectiveness
decision making
declines in mortality
diarrhea
Disease
drug treatment
drugs
educated mothers
health facilities
HIV/AIDS
hygiene
immunization
infant health
Infant Mortality
infection rate
iron supplements
labor markets
living standards
low birth weight
malaria
Maternal and Child Health
measles
medical facilities
Millennium Development Goal
Neonatal mortality
nutrition
Parasitology
pit latrines
polio
postneonatal mortality
pregnancy
safe water
sanitation
tetanus
Tropical Medicine
Tuberculosis
urban areas
vaccination campaign
vector control
World Health Organization
Demombynes, Gabriel
Trommlerová, Sofia Karina
What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
geographic_facet Africa
Africa
Kenya
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6057
description Substantial declines in infant and under-5 mortality have taken place in recent years in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya's infant mortality rate has fallen by 7.6 percent per year, the fastest rate of decline among the 20 countries in the region for which recent Demographic and Health Survey data is available. Kenya's rate of postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births fell by more than half over a five-year period, dropping from 47 to 22, as measured using data from the 2003 and 2008-09 Demographic and Health Surveys. Among the possible causes of the decline are various targeted new public health initiatives and improved access to water and sanitation. A Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition using Demographic and Health Survey data shows that the increased ownership of insecticide-treated bednets in endemic malaria zones explains 39 percent of the decline in postneonatal mortality and 58 percent of the decline in infant mortality. Changes in other observable candidate factors do not explain substantial portions of the decline. The portion of the decline not explained may be associated with generalized trends such as the overall improvement in living standards that has taken place with economic growth. The widespread ownership of insecticide-treated bednets in areas of Kenya where malaria is rare suggests that better targeting of insecticide-treated bednet provision programs could improve the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Demombynes, Gabriel
Trommlerová, Sofia Karina
author_facet Demombynes, Gabriel
Trommlerová, Sofia Karina
author_sort Demombynes, Gabriel
title What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
title_short What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
title_full What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
title_fullStr What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
title_full_unstemmed What Has Driven the Decline of Infant Mortality in Kenya?
title_sort what has driven the decline of infant mortality in kenya?
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2012
url http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6580
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