Determinants of Under-Five Mortality in South-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Under-five mortality is a major public health indica tor hence its inclusion among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Identifying the determinants of under-five mortality is a ma jor step in tackling under-five mortality. While it is important to deter mine factors that affect under-five mortality at the national level, is it also very important to disaggregate data to determine the peculiari ties and differences at the geopolitical zones. This zoomed into the South-eastern geo-political zone of Nigeria. Methods: This was a population based cross-sectional study. Sec ondary data of the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) was analyzed. Though the NDHS was a nationally repre sentative study, only data from the South-east geo-political zone was included in analysis. The aim of the study was to identify deter minants of under-five mortality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were carried out.