title: Childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: cross-sectional insight into small-scale geographical inequalities from Census data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate and quantify childhood mortality, its spatial correlates and the impact of potential correlates using recent census data from three sub-Saharan African countries (Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda), where evidence is lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nation-wide census samples from three African countries participating in the 2010 African Census round. All three countries have conducted recent censuses and have information on mortality of children under 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  111 288 children under the age of 5 years in three countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Under-five mortality was assessed alongside potential correlates including geographical location (where children live), and environmental, bio-demographic and socioeconomic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate analysis indicates that in all three countries the overall risk of child death in the first 5 years of life has decreased in recent years (Rwanda: HR=0.04, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.09; Senegal: HR=0.02 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.05); Uganda: HR=0.011 (95% CI 0.006 to 0.018). In Rwanda, lower deaths were associated with living in urban areas (0.79, 0.73, 0.83), children with living mother (HR=0.16, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.17) or living father (HR=0.38, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.39). Higher death was associated with male children (HR=1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08) and Christian children (HR=1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.27). Children less than 1 year were associated with higher risk of death compared to older children in the three countries. Also, there were significant spatial variations showing inequalities in children mortality by geographic location. In Uganda, for example, areas of high risk are in the south-west and north-west and Kampala district showed a significantly reduced risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide clear evidence of considerable geographical variation of under-five mortality which is unexplained by factors considered in the data. The resulting under-five mortality maps can be used as a practical tool for monitoring progress within countries for the Millennium Development Goal 4 to reduce under-five mortality in half by 2015.
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kazembe
authors.forename: Aileen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Ngianga-Bakwin
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Kandala