Prevalence and risk factors associated with under-five mortality in the Solomon Islands: an investigation from the 2015 Solomon Islands demographic and health survey data

Background Annually, over five million children die before their fifth birthday worldwide, with 98% of these deaths occurring in low-and middle-income countries. The prevalence and risks for under -five mortality are not well -established for the Solomon Islands.Methods We used the Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey 2015 data (SIDHS 2015) to estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with under -five mortality.Findings Neonatal, infant, child and under -five mortality prevalence were 8/1000, 17/1000, 12/1000 and 21/1000 live births, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, neonatal mortality was associated with no breastfeeding [aRR 34.80 (13.60, 89.03)], no postnatal check [aRR 11.36 (1.22, 106.16)], and Roman Catholic [aRR 3.99 (1.34, 11.88)] and Anglican [aRR 2.78 (0.89, 8.65); infant mortality to no breastfeeding [aRR 11.85 (6.15, 22.83)], Micronesian [aRR 5.54 (1.67, 18.35)], and higher birth order [aRR 2.00 (1.03, 3.88)]; child mortality to multiple gestation [aRR 6.15 (2.08, 18.18)], Polynesian [aRR 5.80 (2.48, 13.53)], and Micronesian [aRR 3.65 (1.46, 9.10)], cigarette and tobacco [aRR 1.77 (0.79, 3.96)] and marijuana use [aRR 1.94 (0.43, 8.73)] and rural residence [aRR 1.85 (0.88, 3.92)]; under -five mortality to no breastfeeding [aRR 8.65 (4.97, 15.05)], Polynesian [aRR 3.23 (1.09, 9.54)], Micronesian [aRR 5.60 (2.52, 12.46)], and multiple gestation [aRR 3.34 (1.26, 8.88)]. Proportions of 9% for neonatal and 8% of under -five mortality were attributable to no maternal tetanus vaccination.Interpretation Under -five mortality in the Solomon Islands from the SIDHS 2015 data was attributable to maternal health, behavioural, and sociodemographic risk factors. We recommended future studies to confirm these associations. Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

Based on the Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey 2015 data, the under-five mortality rate in the country was high and associated with maternal health, behavioral, and sociodemographic factors. Further studies are recommended to confirm these associations.