title: Causes of child mortality (1 to 4 years of age) from 1983 to 2012 in the Republic of Korea: national vital data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Child mortality remains a critical problem even in developed countries due to low fertility. To plan effective interventions, investigation into the trends and causes of child mortality is necessary. Therefore, we analyzed these trends and causes of child deaths over the last 30 years in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Causes of death data were obtained from a nationwide vital registration managed by the Korean Statistical Information Service. The mortality rate among all children aged between one and four years and the causes of deaths were reviewed. Data from 1983-2012 and 1993-2012 were analyzed separately because the proportion of unspecified causes of death during 1983-1992 varied substantially from that during 1993-2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The child (1-4 years) mortality rates substantially decreased during the past three decades. The trend analysis revealed that all the five major causes of death (infectious, neoplastic, neurologic, congenital, and external origins) have decreased significantly. However, the sex ratio of child mortality (boys to girls) slightly increased during the last 30 years. External causes of death remain the most frequent origin of child mortality, and the proportion of mortality due to child assault has significantly increased (from 1.02 in 1983 to 1.38 in 2012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Korea, the major causes and rate of child mortality have changed and the sex ratio of child mortality has slightly increased since the early 1980s. Child mortality, especially due to preventable causes, requires public health intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Ah
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D046688:Child Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014798:Vital Statistics
keywords: Cause of death; Child mortality; Sex ratio