Effects of Food Prices on Under-five and Infant Mortality Rates in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Over the years, the rising food prices coupled with the prevailing food insecurity in the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region are perceived to be having debilitating effects on nutrition and health outcomes. This paper therefore examines the impact of rising food prices on under-five and infant mortality rates in 31 selected sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2001-2012 using the fixed effects, random effects, difference GMM and the system GMM. The results show that rising food prices exert significant adverse effects on both infant and under-five mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper suggests the need for increased government’s efforts toward increased food supply and urgent nutritional support involving nutrient-rich-food items to the target groups.

Keywords: food price, under-five mortality, infant mortality, panel data, Sub-Saharan Africa