Page 62 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of
Population Studies Early marriage and infant mortality in SSA

Table 1. Neonatal and infant mortality rates of countries included in the analysis
Countries DHS year N=33,549 Neonatal mortality Infant mortality % of infant
rate (per 1000 live rate (per 1000 deaths during the
births) live births) neonatal period
Angola 2015 – 2016 1,456 28.1 41 68.5
Benin 2017 – 2018 1,080 22.8 32 71.3
Burkina Faso 2010 1,876 21.8 48.7 44.8
Burundi 2016 – 2017 742 19 32.2 59.0
Cameroon 2018 1,404 25.5 38.9 65.6
Chad 2014 – 2015 1,544 38.5 60.2 64.0
Congo 2011 – 2012 789 22.2 34.8 63.8
Congo DR (CD) 2013 – 2014 1,494 45.3 64.4 70.3
Comoros 2012 404 35.3 53 66.6
Cote D’Ivoire 2011 – 2012 780 23.6 42.1 56.1
Gabon 2012 780 45.3 50.9 89.0
Ghana 2014 588 22.5 25.3 88.9
Guinea 2018 857 42.2 73.5 57.4
Kenya 2014 2,565 24.5 40.1 61.1
Lesotho 2014 646 30.2 41.2 73.3
Liberia 2019 – 2020 506 42.4 45.7 92.8
Malawi 2015 – 2016 1,582 33.8 40.7 83.0
Mali 2018 1,341 33.4 44.6 74.9
Mozambique 2015 878 29.4 48 61.3
Namibia 2013 680 18.9 34.5 54.8
Niger 2012 1,226 19.1 32.1 59.5
Nigeria 2018 3,817 41.3 59.5 69.4
Rwanda 2014 – 2015 (2019/20) 535 31.9 40.3 79.2
Sierra-Leone 2019 1,170 26.2 58.3 44.9
Tanzania 2015 – 2016 835 31.2 37.8 82.5
Uganda 2016 2,316 32.3 46 70.2
Zambia 2018 772 30.1 36.5 82.5
Zimbabwe 2015 886 25.2 37.8 66.7

important mediator between early marriage and infant at their current age (in months) at the time of the survey.
mortality. The survival time for dead children was recorded as their
age at death in months.
2.2. Variable measurements
2.2.1. Outcome variables 2.2.2. Independent variables
Infant mortality measured per 1000 live births among Child marriage denoted the key explanatory variable in
children of young mothers aged 20 – 24 years was set as this study, and women’s empowerment was considered
the dependent variable for this study. Infant mortality as an intervening variable. Child marriage was measured
was defined as death before age one (death before the first and categorized as (i) first marriage before age 15, (ii) first
birthday). This variable was measured as the duration of marriage between ages 15 and 17, and (iii) first marriage
survival since birth in months. This variable is an event at age 18 or older. In addition, we considered the women’s
history outcome; thus, infant mortality was modeled as the education levels, occupation strata, and participation in
th
duration of survival from birth until the 11 month. The household decision-making as proxy variables for women’s
survival time for children who were alive was considered empowerment. We utilized principal component analysis

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 56 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2411