Assessing the Effect of Mother’s Migration on Childhood Mortality in Informal Urban Settlements

Ye Yazoume, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Adama Konseiga, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Eliya M. Zulu, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

We compared the childhood mortality risk between children of migrant mothers to those from non-migrant mothers. We selected 8007 children under the age of five from the demographic surveillance database and followed them from 01.08.2002-31.12.2004 to ascertain vital status. We performed a multivariate Cox proportional hazard ratio model to assess the risk childhood mortality associated with migrant mothers. The overall childhood mortality rate was 40.21/1000. Children of migrant mothers experienced higher risk of mortality than did those of non-migrant mothers (Hazard Ratio 1.76, 95%CI: 1.10-2.81). Age, ethnicity of the child and death of the mother were associated with increased risk of mortality. Childhood mortality remains very high among migrants. Given the magnitude rural-urban migration, there is a need to increase access to health care for the migrants. There is also a need to assess the health status and health care utilization patterns of children of migrant mothers.