Child Survival Status and its Drivers in Kenya and Other Three East-African Countries: A Literature Review

Abstract

Child mortality continues to be a significant public health concern, particularly in the East African region. Understanding the factors associated with child mortality is crucial for developing effective interventions. This literature review aims to explore the relationship between various factors such as breastfeeding, sex of a child, type of place of residence, education level, and family size influencing child mortality in Africa, particularly the East African region. This article also assesses the level and trends of child mortality in East African Countries. Search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and relevant institutional repositories were utilised to harvest literature between 2000 and 2021. The study adopts a conceptual framework by Mosley and Chen and focuses on factors viewed as an important driver of child survival beyond the fifth birthday amongst the four countries. The study sees the need to look at the difference in child mortality in the countries and look at the combined estimates, which have been limited in studies of factors associated with under-five mortality through frequentist meta-analysis, Bayesian meta-analysis and space and time regarding child mortality. In doing so, this allows better improvement of existing and implementing policies related to reducing child mortality in regards to child improving child survival and further identifies regions with less progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 by policymakers, governments, and relevant parties involved in developing policies focusing on improving under-five child survival.