title: Mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China from 1996 to 2006.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the change in mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China over the past decade, and to evaluate China's progress in achieving Millennium Development Goal 4.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based survey was conducted through a nationwide multi-level surveillance network. The mortality rate and the leading causes of death for children under 5 years of age were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China dropped by 54.2% between 1996 and 2006 (from 45.0 per 1000 livebirths to 20.6). During this period, deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea dropped by 69.4% and 69.7%, respectively. The proportion of deaths due to pneumonia dropped from 23.4% in 1996 to 15.6% in 2006, and the proportion of deaths due to diarrhoea dropped from 5.6% in 1996 to 3.7% in 2006.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China dropped remarkably from 1996 to 2006. This reduction was mainly due to a significant decrease in deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea. Based on the survey results, China should be able to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4.
authors.affiliation: National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: G X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends*; D046688:Child Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000401:mortality