Factors affecting child mortality in Mongolia (RHS 2008)

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the factors affecting child mortality in Mongolia using the secondary data Reproductive Health Survey 2008 by the National Statistical Office of Mongolia. The unit of analysis is 3,924 children who were born in the five years prior to the survey. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were employed. The results show that children who were breastfed were 96 per cent less likely to die than those who were never breastfed. In addition, children whose mothers were aged 30-49 years old were 81 per cent less likely than the children whose mothers were aged 20 years old or less, children whose birth weight was greater than 2,500 gm were 71 per cent less likely to die than those with a birth weight of less than 2,500 gm, and female children were 48 percent less likely to experience death than male children. Thus, family planning programs should be strengthened to prevent teenage pregnancy, and should carry out more actions to raise awareness of benefits of breastfeeding.