Information about how the risk of death varies with age within the 0-5 age range represents critical evidence for guiding health policy. This study proposes a new model for summarizing regularities about how under-5 mortality is distributed by detailed age. The model is based on a newly compiled database that contains under-5 mortality information by detailed age in countries with high-quality vital registration systems, covering a wide array of mortality levels and patterns. It uses a log-quadratic approach in predicting a full mortality schedule between ages 0 and 5 on the basis of only one or two parameters. With its larger number of age-groups, the proposed model offers greater flexibility than existing models in terms of both entry parameters and model outcomes. We present applications of this model for evaluating and correcting under-5 mortality information by detailed age in countries with problematic mortality data.
Keywords: Age patterns of mortality; Indirect methods; Model life tables; Neonatal mortality; Under-5 mortality.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors.