Rates And Risk Factors of Infant Mortality in Ghana: An Analysis of the 2022 Ghana Demographic Health Survey

Abstract

Background: Infant mortality continues to be a significant public health challenge worldwide. Although there has been a notable reduction in the global infant mortality rate over the years, the decrease in many African nations, including Ghana, is considerably slower than what is needed to achieve the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal: This study, therefore, utilized data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) to investigate the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the associated risk factors of infant deaths in Ghana. Methodology: Data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health survey, a cross-sectional survey, was used for the purpose of this study. A total of 2,151 infants aged 0–12 months were included in this study. The study employed descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to examine associations between infant mortality and variables such as maternal age, occupation, place of delivery, duration of pregnancy, region, and household wealth. STATA 17.0 was used for the data analysis, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: The infant mortality rate was 2.2%. Infant deaths were slightly higher among mothers living in urban areas (2.5%), mothers aged 15–19 (3.7%), mothers with no formal education (2.7%), preterm births (66.7%), women self-employed in agriculture (11.1%), those in sales (4.3%), women in the "Poorer" group (3.6%), and births observed in polyclinics (4.0%) and home deliveries (2.5%). Regionally, infant mortality ranged from 0.0% in Volta and Western North to 5.1% in Eastern and 4.4% in Central. Ethnic disparities were also observed, with the Mole-Dagbani group recording the highest number of infant deaths (10 deaths per 1,000 live births). Duration of pregnancy, maternal occupation in sales, regional location, and household wealth index were the predictors of infant survival in this study. Conclusion: To reduce infant mortality rates in Ghana, current treatments should be evaluated in light of the identified predictors. Based on the study's findings, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection should provide more economic support to vulnerable women. This can be accomplished by increasing access to the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program and social health insurance coverage. Furthermore, the Ghana Health Service should expand its antenatal care outreach, focusing on early detection and management of pregnancy complications. Training community health workers in preterm birth risk identification and neonatal intensive care should be prioritized, particularly in rural areas. To address healthcare disparities, the Ministry of Health should implement region-specific interventions such as strengthening referral systems, improving healthcare infrastructure, and increasing funding to these regions. Various stakeholders, including government and non-governmental organizations, should take into account the predictors of child survival identified in the design of interventions to effectively reduce morbidity and mortality among infants.