Household Characteristics and under-Five Mortality in Bankass, Mali

David Boettiger, University of California, San Francisco
Emily Treleaven, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Kassoum Kayentao, Malaria Research and Training Center
Ari Johnson, MUSO
Nancy Padian
Jenny Liu, University of California, San Francisco
Caroline Whidden, MUSO
Naimatou Koné, MUSO
Mahamadou Guindo, Ministère de la Sante et des Affaires Sociales
Mama Coumaré , Ministère de la Sante et des Affaires Sociales
Amadou Beydi Cissé , MUSO

Objective: Describe household living characteristics in rural Mali and investigate which are associated with under-five (U5) mortality. Methods: We analysed baseline household survey data from a randomized trial being conducted in Bankass, Mali. The survey was administered to consenting households in the study area between December 2016 and January 2017. Findings: Among 8,963 households surveyed, 2,016 (22.5%) reported an U5 death in the five years prior to baseline. In total, 2,685 U5 deaths occurred at a rate of 149 per 1,000 live births. Polygyny, having electricity, and greater distance from a primary health center were consistently associated with a higher probability of U5 mortality in our adjusted models. U5 female mortality was additionally associated with tolerance of spousal violence, and U5 male mortality was additionally associated with poorer reading ability of women in the household. Conclusion: U5 mortality is high in Bankass and associated with several potentially modifiable household characteristics.