Clearer answers about why and when children under five die in low-income countries
Improving Age- and Cause-Specific Under-Five Mortality Rates (ACSU5MR) by Systematically Accounting Measurement Errors to Inform Child Survival Decision Making in Low Income Countries
This project improves methods to produce more accurate, age-specific and cause-specific estimates of deaths among children under five so programs can better save young lives.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11284017 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will use routine health records, surveys, and other national data sources to correct measurement errors and produce clearer age- and cause-specific death estimates for children under five in low-income countries. They will develop statistical tools that explicitly model uncertainty and combine multiple imperfect data sources so results are more reliable even when records are incomplete. The team plans to produce maps, age-specific timelines, and guidance that policymakers and health programs can use to target vaccines, antibiotics, or other life-saving interventions to the ages and causes where they will have the biggest impact. Johns Hopkins University will lead the work with partners in affected countries to apply these methods to national data and share findings with local decision-makers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The findings are most relevant to children under five in low-income countries or to communities and health programs serving them, especially where death registration and cause-of-death data are incomplete.
Not a fit: This grant does not provide direct treatment, so individuals outside the targeted low-income settings or those seeking immediate clinical care would not receive direct personal benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help governments and aid programs target vaccines, treatments, and resources to the specific ages and causes of death that would save the most children's lives.
How similar studies have performed: Related approaches using verbal autopsies and statistical models have improved cause-of-death estimates before, but applying systematic measurement-error correction to fine age bands under five is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Li — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Liu, Li
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.