Determinants of neonatal, infant and under-five mortalities: evidence from a developing country, Bangladesh

Md Wahid Murad; A B M Abdullah; Md Mazharul Islam; Md Mahmudul Alam; Carmen Reaiche; Stephen Boyle

doi:10.1057/s41271-023-00413-w

Determinants of neonatal, infant and under-five mortalities: evidence from a developing country, Bangladesh

J Public Health Policy. 2023 Jun;44(2):230-241. doi: 10.1057/s41271-023-00413-w. Epub 2023 Apr 28.

Authors

Md Wahid Murad¹, A B M Abdullah², Md Mazharul Islam³, Md Mahmudul Alam⁴, Carmen Reaiche⁵, Stephen Boyle⁵

Affiliations

¹ UniSA Education Futures, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
² UniSA Business, University of South Australia, 49 North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia. abm.abdullah@unisa.edu.au.
³ Department of Finance, College of Business, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ School of Economics, Finance and Banking, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
⁵ College of Business, Law and Governance, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

Abstract

We investigated the macroeconomic determinants of neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities in Bangladesh for the period 1991-2018 and discuss implications of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) for developing countries. We used annual time series data and the econometric techniques of Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) regressions for analysis. Determinants most effective in combating neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities include variables such as 'protecting newborns against tetanus', 'increasing healthcare expenditure', and 'making sure births are attended by skilled healthcare staff'. Employing more healthcare workers and assuring more and improved healthcare provisions can further reduce the neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities. Developing countries with similar macroeconomic profiles can achieve similar SDG 3 and MDG 4 outcomes by emulating the policies and strategies Bangladesh applied to reducing child mortalities over the last three decades.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Determinants; Developing countries; Infant; Mortality; Neonatal; Under-five.

MeSH terms

Bangladesh / epidemiology
Child
Child Mortality
Developing Countries*
Health Personnel
Humans
Infant
Infant Mortality*
Infant, Newborn