Analysis of under-five mortality by diseases in countries with different levels of development: a comparative analysis

Abstract

Objectives: The right to health is critical for children because they are sensitive beings who are more susceptible to disease and health problems. It would be beneficial to compare child mortality rates in countries with different levels of development and to conduct studies to address them by taking into account their causes. This study aims to analyze the situation of developed, developing and least developed countries in terms of causes under-5 child mortality (U5CM) determined by World Health Organization and to identify the similarities or differences of under-five mortality. Methods: Child mortality rates per 1,000 live births between 2000 and 2017 years in between different age groups (0-27 days and 1-59 months) by causes (disease-specific) were obtained from World Health Organization for a total 15 countries including developed, developing and least developed countries. Regression analysis was performed to identify which causes have more impact on child mortality. In addition, the relationship between diseases was calculated using Euclidean distance, and diseases were clustered using k-means clustering algorithm for each country. Results: As a result of mathematical and statistical analysis, it was seen that causes of child mortality have a significant relation with the development level of country where a child was born. Conclusions: It has been observed that the causes of child mortality in countries with different levels of development vary depending on different factors such as geographical conditions, air quality population and access to medicine.