Determinants of geographical inequalities of mortality in Dakar, Senegal.

Assane Niang Gadiaga, Université de Namur
Catherine Linard, Université de Namur

Mortality is one of the most relevant indicators for the analysis of population health status. Its prevalence by age and sex is an essential support for health planning. However, mortality studies in Africa have so far focused on infant mortality. Moreover, traditional demographic methods do not capture geographical inequalities in mortality, including the location of populations at risk. Civil registration is a data source that is not used enough, especially by geographers. However, these data could be geolocated and could provide consistent insights into the spatial inequalities of deaths. The objective of this study is to analyze the spatio- temporal variations of mortality in Dakar. Deaths reported in the civil registration database in Dakar were analyzed using a health geography approach. Socio-economic and environmental data were used to model the impact of natural and social factors on intra-urban variations in the prevalence of the age – specific death rate.