Places in poorer countries where child and adult death rates stay very high

Identifying and characterizing mortality hotspots in low- and middle-income countries

NIH-funded research Stanford University · NIH-11304542

Researchers will map and describe where infants, children, and adults face unusually high death rates in low- and middle-income countries to help guide life-saving programs for people living there.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionStanford University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Stanford, United States)
Project IDNIH-11304542 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

The team will use existing health and demographic records and new mapping methods to estimate death rates for infants, children, and adults at a fine geographic scale across low- and middle-income countries. They will project those local mortality estimates forward to 2030 and combine different data sources to identify locations with persistently high death rates. Hotspots will be classified by how close they are to armed conflict and how easy they are for public health teams to reach. The results aim to point public health efforts and resources to communities most in need.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People living in low- and middle-income countries—especially infants, children, and adults in areas suspected to have very high death rates—are the focus and could be included in the data or prioritized for future programs.

Not a fit: People living outside low- and middle-income countries or in areas with already low mortality are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project in the near term.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help target interventions and resources to communities with the highest death rates, potentially reducing avoidable child and adult deaths.

How similar studies have performed: Previous small-area mortality mapping has helped direct health programs in some settings, though combining multiple estimates, projecting to 2030, and adding conflict/access classification is a newer and less-tested approach.

Where this research is happening

Stanford, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.