Original Research

Determinants of under-five mortality in rural and urban Kenya

Submitted: 17 May 2011 Revised: 20 November 2011 Published: 13 March 2012 Full text: You can view the full article, or view a printable version. Comments: (login to access the comments on this article) Author(s) : Ettarh RR, Kimani J.

Citation: Ettarh RR, Kimani J.  Determinants of under-five mortality in rural and urban Kenya. Rural and Remote Health 12: 1812. (Online) 2012. Available: http://www.rrh.org.au

Introduction:  The disparity in under-five year-old mortality rates between rural and urban areas in Kenya (also reported in other in sub-Saharan African countries), is a critical national concern. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of geographical location and maternal factors on the likelihood of mortality among under-five children in rural and urban areas in Kenya.
Methods:  Data from the 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey were used to determine mortality among under-five children (n=16 162) in rural and urban areas in the 5 years preceding the survey. Multivariate analysis was used to compare the influence of key risk factors in rural and urban areas.
Results:  Overall, the likelihood of death among under-five children in the rural areas was significantly higher than that in the urban areas (p<0.05). Household poverty was a key predictor for mortality in the rural areas, but the influence of breastfeeding was similar in the two areas. The likelihood of under-five mortality was significantly higher in the rural areas of Coast, Nyanza and Western Provinces than in Central Province.
Conclusions:  The study shows that the determinants of under-five mortality differ in rural and urban areas in Kenya. Innovative and targeted strategies are required to address rural poverty and province-specific sociocultural factors in order to improve child survival in rural Kenya.

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