Mortality from birth through adolescence: Trends, Determinants, and Insights from a Longitudinal Cohort in Benin

Introduction Despite substantial global progress, child mortality remains a major public health burden, with sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately affected. In West Africa, deaths from preventable causes remain alarmingly high, yet longitudinal evidence on the rates and risk factors of child mortality in the region is scarce. This study is among the first in Benin to examine child mortality from birth to 14 years in a community-based, longitudinal cohort. Methods Data originate from the Malaria in Pregnancy Preventive Alternative Drugs (MiPPAD) trial (NCT00811421), an open-label, randomized controlled trial that recruited pregnant women in their second trimester across four sub-Saharan Afric