Trends and Determinants of Mortality Among Children in Nigeria: A Teaching Hospital Perspective

Abstract: Background: Globally, even across all regions and income groups, the majority of child mortality occurred during the earlier age with 85 percent of the 6.3 million deaths in 2017 occurring in the first five years of life. Measuring how many children die each year and why they died along with measuring how diseases and injuries are affecting children is one of the most important means for assessing the effectiveness of a country’s health system. Cause-of-death statistics even among all age groups helps health authorities determine the focus of their public health actions. They may be used to determine which preventive and medical curative measures or which focus in research might increase the life expectancy of the population. Aim: To determine the pattern and the determinants of deaths among pediatric patients in DUFUTH between March 2022 to June 2025. Objectives: To determine the social demography of pediatric patients in DUFUTH To determine the pattern and frequency and determinants of mortality among pediatric age group in DUFUTH To determine if possible the variable contributing factors to death among hospitalized children in DUFUTH. Result: Mortality among children in DUFUTH was recorded as 17.9%(52) out of 291 mortalities recorded between March 2022 to June 2025 with male preponderance, accounting for 55.8%(29) and female 44.2%(23). Severe malaria ranked the highest among the determinants of death among children accounting for 30.7%(16), followed by neonatal sepsis accounting for 26.9%(14). Anaemic heart failure accounted for 19.1%(10), while perinatal asphyxia and acute gastroenteritis accounted for 9.6%(5) and 5.7%(3) respectively. Low birth weight, severe malnutrition, febrile seizure and acute watery diarrhoea accounted for 2% (1) respectively. Death was more rampant between age range of 0-1 year with a frequency of 50%(26). This is followed by age 2-5years which recorded 21.2% (11) deaths. Ages 6-10 recorded 19.2%(10) deaths while 11-17years recorded 5(9.6%) deaths respectively.2024 saw the highest number of mortality in children accounting for 42.3% of the total mortality. Year 2023 had 32.7%, while year 2022 had the least death frequency accounting for 9.6% while the first quarter of 2025 accounted for 15.4%.Across all the years of study except 2025,most of the deaths occurred in the evenings, between the hours of 5-11pm while year 2025 recorded highest death in the morning hours( 12am to 12noon). Conclusion: Despite the significant progress made in curbing mortalities among children across the world, this ugly event has remained bothersome and unabated with mortalities among children still at alarming rate especially under 5 and among neonate. Any serious nation who wants to make a giant stride in heath of her citizens must developed practical interventional approach that can yield effective and enduring results.