Death Rate
Indicator Phrasing
English: % of children who died from any cause while registered in the treatment program
French: % d'enfants décédés de n'importe quelle cause pendant qu'ils étaient inscrits au programme de traitement
Portuguese: % de crianças que faleceram de qualquer causa enquanto registadas no programa de tratamento
Czech: % dětí, které zemřely z jakékoli příčiny během účasti v terapeutickém programu
What is its purpose?
The death rate is one of the four core performance indicators of malnutrition treatment programs. It represents the proportion of discharged children who died from any cause while registered in the program.
How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data
To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of children who died while registered in the treatment program by the total number of discharged children. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage. The resulting number is the death rate (in percentages).
Disaggregate by
Disaggregate the data by gender, geographic area, and age groups.
Important Comments
1) The indicator does not require a separate survey – all data can be gained from the treatment program’s regular records.
2) According to the Sphere Standards, in the case of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a death rate of less than 10% is perceived as “acceptable” (note: in practice, the death rate in many programs is less than 5%). In the case of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), the threshold is 3%.
3) The four core performance indicators of a malnutrition treatment program (esp. the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition, CMAM) are recovery rate, death rate, default rate and non-recovery rate.