Determinants of Infant Mortality in Urban Ghana

Abstract

Global statistics reveal a decline in the rate of infant mortality. Ghana like other countries has realised a decline in infant mortality rate over the years due to government policies and interventions. Previous studies allude to the fact that infant mortality is pronounced in rural than urban area, however, the recent demographic and health survey and multiple indicator cluster survey report higher infant deaths in urban areas. Accordingly, this study was carried out to examine the factors that contribute to infant mortality in urban areas in Ghana. The data used for this study was the 2014 GDHS. The study analysed data on 527 single births to urban women within the survey period. Infant mortality was the dependent variable while the independent variables included sex of the child, birth size, breastfeeding, antenatal care attendance, place of delivery, source of drinking water, type of toilet facility, maternal education, maternal age, maternal employment status, wealth status, religion, and ethnicity. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis were conducted using SPSS version 26. At the univariate level, socio demographic characteristics of infants and their mothers as well as proximal causes of infant mortality were described using frequencies, bar graphs, and pie charts. To establish an association between the various independent variables and the dependent variable, the study specified cross tabulations. Pearson chi-square and p-values were calculated to establish statistical significance between the predictor variables and the outcome variable. At the multivariate level, a binary logistic regression was specified to evaluate the association between the independent variables and under-one death. The results from the analysis established that breastfeeding and antenatal care attendance were the only significant predictors of infant mortality among infants in the study. Breastfeeding and antenatal care attendance are therefore imperative in reducing infant deaths in urban Ghana. This study thus recommends that for the country to meet the SDG 3 target of lowering under five and new-born deaths to 25 and 12 deaths per 1000 live birth correspondingly, there should be continued sensitisation on the importance of breastfeeding and antenatal care attendance.