Data for Development: Data Models to Help Reduce Child Mortality

Seth Davis, Communications Officer, Community Systems Foundation ​

Source: www.childmortality.org/index.php?r=site/map.

​Despite having the knowledge and technology to provide life-saving interventions, nearly 15,000 children died every day in 2017 from preventable causes and treatable diseases. [1] To reduce child and adolescent mortality, national and international decision-makers continue to advocate for universal quality and affordable healthcare. However, without access to comparable estimates on child mortality, policymakers are unable to make evidence-based decisions that can create national and global change. [2]
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In 2011, Community Systems Foundation (CSF) began a long-term partnership with UNICEF to support the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) in strengthening the management and dissemination of annual estimates. 

CSF created the first ever portal on child mortality estimates, presenting a clear view of all available data, with explanation of how estimates were created. Child Mortality Estimates, or CME Info, features global and country dashboards to better understand current trends in child mortality. 

Since then, CSF continues to assist UNICEF by updating the global database with annual estimates from UN IGME, national surveys and other estimates. 
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On 18 September 2018, UN IGME released the 2017 estimates on child mortality among children under age 5 and children 5-14. Through the report,  Levels & Trends in Child Mortality 2018 Report, UNICEF outlines the global progress that has been made in reducing child and adolescent mortality and highlights key challenges and recommendations for overcoming these barriers.

The report highlights that many countries are not yet able to deploy vital registration (VR) systems nor international household surveys to accurately estimate child mortality rates. [3] To ensure all countries have access to reliable and comparable statistics, UN IGME uses data models to produce annual estimates, highlighting the progress, or lack thereof, in reduction of child mortality over time.  These global estimates then enable decision-makers to form policy on key measures of child development.

In this regard, UN IGME enables the sharing of data on child mortality, harmonize estimates within the UN system, improve methods for child mortality estimation, report on progress towards child survival goals and enhance country capacity to produce timely and properly assessed estimates of child mortality. [3]

[1] UNICEF. Levels & Trends in Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation Child Mortality Report 2018. United Nations. Page 4. Accessed at: http://www.childmortality.org/files_v22/download/UN%20IGME%20Child%20Mortality%20Report%202018.pdf

[2] UNICEF. Levels & Trends in Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation Child Mortality Report 2018. United Nations. Page 4. Accessed at: http://www.childmortality.org/files_v22/download/UN%20IGME%20Child%20Mortality%20Report%202018.pdf

[3] UNICEF. Levels & Trends in Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation Child Mortality Report 2018. United Nations. Page 21. Accessed at: http://www.childmortality.org/files_v22/download/UN%20IGME%20Child%20Mortality%20Report%202018.pdf

[4] Community Systems Foundation. UNICEF HQ – CME Info Update. Accessed at:  https://www.communitysystemsfoundation.org/uploads/1/9/9/2/19920247/unicef_hq_%E2%80%93_cme_info_update.pdf

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