Cent Eur J Public Health 2013, 21(2):80-87 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3825

Changes and Determinants in Under-five Mortality Rate in Turkey since 1988

S. Songül Yalçın1, Baºak Tezel2, Mehmet Rıfat Köse2, Deniz Tugay3, Salih Mollahaliloğlu3, Yasin Erkoç4
1 Unit of Social Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
2 General Directorate of Maternal Child Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey
3 School of Public Health, Refik Saydam Hygiene Center Presidency, Ankara, Turkey
4 Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey

Child survival is the focus of the fourth Millenium Developmental Goal (MDG4). This paper describes levels, trends, and differentials in Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) and also summarizes state programmes in Turkey between 1988 and 2010. Turkey is among only a few countries that have already surpassed MDG4 and have reduced their under-five mortality rate by more than two-thirds. In 2010, 13 out of every 1,000 children died before their fifth birthday. Low birth weight, high-birth order, short birth intervals, rural residence, low level of maternal education and lowest wealth quintile have affected negatively children's chances of survival. Expanding the scope of free vaccination programmes for children, improving screening and disease prevention schemes aimed at children, encouraging breastfeeding, implementing an emergency obstetric care programme, improving the services provided to newborns (a newborn intensive care programme) have brought about a significant decrease in the rate of infant and under-five mortality. The implementation of state and region specific action plans should be necessary to increase the chance of an access to the Continuum of Care for each mother and infant and to surpass MDG4.

Keywords: children, mortality rate, millennium, developmental goals, Turkey

Received: July 30, 2012; Revised: April 23, 2013; Accepted: April 23, 2013; Published: June 1, 2013  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Yalçın SS, Tezel B, Köse MR, Tugay D, Mollahaliloğlu S, Erkoç Y. Changes and Determinants in Under-five Mortality Rate in Turkey since 1988. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2013;21(2):80-87. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a3825. PubMed PMID: 24053063.
Download citation

References

  1. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Millennium development goals in the WHO European region: a situational analysis at the eve of the five-year countdown. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2010.
  2. Jelamschi L, De Ver Dye T. Decline in the under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) in Turkey: a case study. 2010. Ankara: UNICEF Turkey; 2010.
  3. Mollahaliloğlu S, Bora Baºara B, Eryilmaz Z, editors. Health Statistics Yearbook 2010. Ankara: Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Health, Refik Saydam Hygiene Center Presidency, School of Public Health; 2011.
  4. Alata S, Arslan HM, Bayazit Baran B, Duman N, editors. Millennium development goals report Turkey 2010. Ankara: the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator; 2010.
  5. You D, Jones G, Wardlaw T, editors. Levels & trends in child mortality. Report 2011. Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency group for child mortality estimation. New York: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); 2011.
  6. Moccia P, editor. The state of world's children 2009: maternal and newborn health. New York: : United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); 2008.
  7. Lazarus JV, Bjørk C, Østergren M. Improving family and community health in Eastern Europe - the lifecycle approach at WHO. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2006 Sep;14(3):109-12. Go to original source...
  8. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkey. Demographic and health survey, 2008. Ankara: HUIPS, Ministry of Health General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, T.R. Prime Ministry Undersecretary of State Planning Organization and TUBITAK; 2009.
  9. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkey. Demographic and health survey 2003. Ankara: HUIPS, Ministry of Health General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, State Planning Organization and European Union; 2004.
  10. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkish Demographic and health survey 1998. Ankara: HUIPS, Ministry of Health General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, MEASURE DHS+, Macro International; 1999.
  11. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkish Demographic and health survey 1993. Ankara: HUIPS, Ministry of Health General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, Macro International; 1994.
  12. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkish population and health survey 1988. Ankara: HUIPS; 1989.
  13. Health at a glance 2011: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2011.
  14. Turkish Statistical Institute [Internet].Ankara: TurkStat; 2013 [cited 2013 Feb 1]. Available from: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/.
  15. Aslam A, Szczuka J, editors. The state of the world's children 2012: children in an urban world. New York: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); 2012.
  16. The state of the world's children 1992. New York: Oxford University Press; 1992.
  17. The state of the world's children 1997: child labour. New York: Oxford University Press; 1997.
  18. The state of the world's children 2004: girls, education and development. New York: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); 2003.
  19. World Health Organization. World health statistics 2011. Geneva: WHO; 2011.
  20. Yüksel I, Koç İ. Is the infant mortality rate stil a puzzle in Turkey? Çocuk Sağliği ve Hastaliklari Dergisi. 2010;53(2):87-97. (In Turkish.)
  21. Akdağ R, editor. Turkey health transformation program: evaluation report (2003-2010). Ankara: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health; 2011.
  22. Yardim N, Mollahaliloğlu S, Hülür U, et al. Turkey and 21 targets: future health. Ankara: Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Health, Refik Saydam Hygiene Center Presidency, School of Public Health; 2007. (In Turkish.)
  23. Cavagnero E, Daelmans B, Gupta N, Scherpbier R, Shankar A Countdown; Working Group on Health Policy and Health Systems.Assessment of the health system and policy environment as a critical complement to tracking intervention coverage for maternal, newborn, and child health. Lancet. 2008 Apr 12;371(9620):1284-93. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  24. Requejo J, editor. Countdown to 2015 decade report (2000-2010): taking stock of maternal, newborn and child survival. Geneva: WHO; 2010.
  25. Özbaº S, Tezel B,Aydin ª, Bolat H, Köse MR. The situation of children's health in Turkey. Çocuk Sağliği ve Hastaliklari Dergisi. 2012;55(2):71-6. (In Turkish.)
  26. Yalcin SS, Pekcan G, Tezel B, et al. The survey report of iron usage in children aged 12-23 months. Ankara: Printing Office of General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health; 2009. (In Turkish.)
  27. OECD Reviews of health systems: Turkey. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2008.
  28. Eryurt MA, Koç I. Poverty and child mortality: the effect of household wealth status on child mortality. Çocuk Sağliği ve Hastaliklari Dergisi. 2009;52(3):113-21. (In Turkish.)
  29. Human Development Report [Internet]. New York: Human Development Report Office; 2013. International human development indicators: Turkey; [cited 2013 Feb 1]. Available from: http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/TUR.html.