Exploring under-five mortality disparities: a comparative analysis of rural and urban areas in Punjab-Pakistan, using Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey data

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OBJECTIVES: Child health is a social and economic development indicator. Pakistan is one of the countries with a high rate of under-five mortality. This research aims to examine several demographic, geographical, socioeconomic, health-related, and environmental factors related to under-five mortality in both rural and urban areas of Punjab, Pakistan. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. METHODS: We used data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017-18 of children aged between 0 and 59 months (n = 39,024), steered by the Punjab Bureau of Statistics. Children who died before reaching the age of five were considered as outcome variables. The bivariate relationship of the outcome variable with each socio-economic, demographic, health-seeking, and environmental variable is estimated with a P-value of <0.01. We used logistic regression analysis separately. Inclusive descriptive statistics were used for the detailed analysis, i.e., compare means, cross-tabulations, independent sample t-tests, and comparison across rural-urban areas. RESULTS: Results showed that in the mother-level variables, mother education plays a substantial role in reducing mortality; the higher the level of education, the lower the mortality rate. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that improving drinking water sources, such as tap and bottled water, can reduce the incidence of mortality, particularly in low-income households. Therefore, interventions targeting children are likely to be most effective for reducing the under-five mortality rate in Pakistan.

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