Trend in mortality of children under 5 years old in Beijing,2006-2015

Objective To investigate the trend in mortality rate,main causes of death,and factors associated with death place among children under 5 years old in Beijing from 2006 to 2015.Methods Using the surveillance data on the death of children in Beijing from 2006 to 2015 collected from the real-time surveillance network,the mortality rate of children of different age groups,the main causes of death in children under 5 years old and the place of death were analyzed.Results The mortality rate of newborns,infants and children under 5 years old in Beijing showed a downward trend (all P<0.01),with the mortality rate of 1.52‰,2.42‰,and 3.02‰ in 2015,which were decreased by 55.56%,47.85%,and 47.75% compared to those in 2006.For the main death causes among both the urban and rural children aged<5 years in Beijing during the period,the mortality rate of congenital heart disease and birth asphyxia declined significantly (both P<0.05) and that of premature birth or low birth weight fluctuated (both P<0.05).The mortality rate of other congenital malformations and accidental asphyxia among the urban children aged<5 years were decreased signifi-cantly by 71.61% and 10.08% (both P<0.05);the mortality rate of pneumonia was significantly decreased by 59.12% among the suburban children of less than 5 years old (P<0.05).In addition,the place of death was related to gender and residential region of the children and more deaths of girls and urban children occurred at hospitals (both P<0.05).Conclusion The mortality rate declined among the children under 5 years old in Beijing from 2006 to 2015,suggesting a continuous improvement in health status of the children.