The child mortality rate in the United States, for children under the age of five, was 462.9 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that for every thousand babies born in 1800, over 46 percent did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births. Although the child mortality rate has decreased greatly over this 220 year period, there were two occasions where it increased; in the 1870s, as a result of the fourth cholera pandemic, smallpox outbreaks, and yellow fever, and in the late 1910s, due to the Spanish Flu pandemic.

The child mortality rate in the United Kingdom, for children under the age of five, was 329 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that approximately one in every three children born in 1800 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just four deaths per thousand births.

The child mortality rate in Mexico, for children under the age of five, was 487 deaths per thousand births in 1890. This means that roughly half of all children born in 1890 did not make it to their fifth birthday (the number did rise above fifty percent in 1895). Since the turn of the twentieth century, the child mortality rate in Mexico has fallen during each five year interval, and is expected to be sixteen deaths per thousand births in 2020.

The child mortality rate in India, for children under the age of five, was 509 deaths per thousand births in 1880. This means that over half of all children born in 1880 did not survive past the age of five, and it remained this way until the twentieth century. From 1900 until today, the child mortality rate has fallen from over 53 percent in 1900, to under four percent in 2020. Since 1900, there were only two times where the child mortality rate increased in India, which were as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic in the 1910s, and in the 1950s as India adjusted to its newfound independence.

The child mortality rate in Germany, for children under the age of five, was 340 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that more than one in every three children born in 1800 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality increased to almost fifty percent in the mid-nineteenth century, as the country industrialized and urbanized rapidly, which allowed diseases to spread much faster. This changed however, with the introduction of mandatory vaccination in 1874, which kickstarted a gradual decline in child mortality in Germany. The decline was most rapid in the first half of the twentieth century, and by the year 2020 child mortality in Germany is expected to be as low as four deaths per thousand births.

The child mortality rate in Austria, for children under the age of five, was 387 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that just under forty percent of all children born in 1860 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality increased to over forty percent for most of the nineteenth century, as the country became more industrialized and urbanized, which allowed diseases to spread much faster. From 1900 onwards, the child mortality rate in Austria dropped consistently until today, (apart from a small increase during the Second World War) and it is expected to fall to just four deaths per thousand births in 2020.

The child mortality rate in Canada, for children under the age of five, was 333 deaths per thousand births in the year 1830. This means that one third of all children born in 1830 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality remained above 25 percent for the remainder of the nineteenth century, before falling at a much faster rate throughout the 1900s. By the year 2020, Canada's child mortality rate is expected to be just five deaths per thousand births.

The child mortality rate in Italy, for children under the age of five, was 390 deaths per thousand births in 1865. This translated into just under forty percent of all children born in 1865 not surviving past their fifth birthday. Child mortality remained above 250 until the mid 1920s, before falling at a much faster rate throughout the rest of the century thanks in part to the introduction and availability of new vaccinations. In 2020, the child mortality rate in Italy is expected to be just three deaths per one thousand births.

The child mortality rate in Poland, for children under the age of five, was 369 deaths per thousand births in 1885. For every one thousand babies born in 1885, almost 37 percent did not survive past their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 135 years, this number has dropped drastically, reaching its lowest point ever in the period between 2015 and 2020, at four deaths per thousand births. In Poland's recorded history, there were two periods where the child mortality rate increased, which were in the 1910s and 1930s, mostly due tot he Spanish Flu pandemic that swept across the world, and also the events of the Second World War.

We conducted key informant interviews with 18 experts in prematurity and reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) and reviewed key literature on preterm birth. We aimed to identify the factors that shape the global political priority of preterm birth and to describe policy opportunities to increase its priority moving forward. This data collection includes two documents. The first is a semi-structured interview guide that was created based on the Shiffman and Smith Framework for Political Priority which was used as the guiding framework for our analysis. This interview guide was used in every key informant interview. The second document is a codebook that was developed based on the key themes which emerged during the key informant interview process. We applied these codes to different excerpts from our interview transcripts and analyzed the codes to determine salient themes for our research findings.

Preterm birth, defined as infants born before 37 weeks of gestation, is the largest contributor to child mortality. Despite new evidence highlighting the global burden of prematurity, policymakers have failed to adequately prioritize preterm birth despite the magnitude of its health impacts. Given current levels of political attention and investment, it is unlikely that the global community will be adequately mobilized to meet the 2012 Born Too Soon report goal of reducing the preterm birth rate by 50% by 2025.

This study adapts the Shiffman and Smith framework for political priority to examine four components contributing to policy action in global health: actor power, ideas, political context, and issue characteristics. The global preterm birth community (academic researchers, multilateral organizations, government agencies, and civil society organizations) lacks evidence about the causes of and solutions to preterm birth; and country-level data quality is poor with gaps in the understanding required for implementing effective interventions. Limited funding compounds these challenges, creating divisions among experts on what policy actions to recommend. These factors contribute to the lack of priority and underrepresentation of preterm birth within the larger RMNCH agenda. Increasing the political priority of prematurity is essential to reduce preventable newborn and child mortality, a key target of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal for health (target 3.2). This study identifies three policy recommendations for the preterm birth community: address data and evidence gaps, clarify and invest in viable solutions, and bring visibility to prematurity within the larger RMNCH agendas.

The child mortality rate in Australia, for children under the age of five, was 391 deaths per thousand births in 1860. This means that just under forty percent of all children born in 1860 did not make it to their fifth birthday. This number dropped drastically over the next ten years, then it remained between 150 and two hundred for the remainder of the 1800s, before dropping consistently from 1900 until today. By 2020, child mortality in Australia is expected to be approximately four deaths per thousand births.

The data shows the statistics of different medical services on a cumulative yearly basis in other states up to the sub-district level of 2011-2012. It included 1) Ante Natal Care (ANC) - Antenatal care (ANC) is a means to identify high-risk pregnancies and educate women so that they might experience healthier delivery and outcomes. 2) Deliveries - The delivery of the baby by the pregnant women 3) Number of Caesarean (C-Section) deliveries - Caesarean delivery (C-section) is used to deliver a baby through surgical incisions made in the abdomen and uterus. 4) Pregnancy outcome & details of new-born - The records kept of the pregnancy outcome along with the details of new-born 5) Complicated Pregnancies - The different pregnancies that were not normal and had complications 6) Post Natal Care (PNC) - Postnatal care is defined as care given to the mother and her new-born baby immediately after the birth of the placenta and for the first six weeks of life 7) Reproductive Tract Infections/Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTI/STI) Cases - The records of reproductive tract infections along with the records of the sexually transmitted cases 8) Family Planning - The different methods used by families to keep track of family 9) CHILD IMMUNISATION - The records of child immunisation which are records of vaccination 10) Number of cases of Childhood Diseases (0-5 years) - The records of the number of cases of childhood diseases within the age of 5 years old 11) NVBDCP - The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) is one of the most comprehensive and multi-faceted public health activities in the country and concerned with the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases, namely Malaria, Filariasis, Kala-azar, Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis (JE). 12) Adolescent Health - The record of the conditions of adolescent health 13 ) Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) - Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization 14) Patient Services - Patient Services means those which vary with the number of personnel; professional and para-professional skills of the personnel; specialised equipment, and reflect the intensity of the medical and psycho-social needs of the patients. 15) Laboratory Testing - A medical procedure that involves testing a sample of blood, urine, or other substance from the body. Laboratory tests can help determine a diagnosis, plan treatment, check if the treatment works, or monitor the disease over time. 16) Details of deaths reported with probable causes - The reports of deaths recorded with possible reasons are given in a detail 17) Vaccines - The reports of vaccines which are recorded 18) Syringes - It is the number of syringes that are used and recorded 19) Rashtriya Bal Swasthaya Karyakram (RBSK) - Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is an important initiative aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years to cover 4 'D's viz. Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development delays, including disability. 20) Coverage under WIFS JUNIOR - The coverage of the Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for children six to one 21) Maternal Death Reviews (MDR) - A maternal death review is cross-checking how the mother died. It provides a rare opportunity for a group of health staff and community members to learn from a tragic – and often preventable. 22) Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK)- This initiative provides free and cashless services to pregnant women, including normal deliveries and caesarean operations. It entitles all pregnant women in public health institutions to free and no-expense delivery, including caesarean section.

The child mortality rate in the Netherlands, for children under the age of five, was 324 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that just under one third of all children born in 1860 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality reached its highest recorded level in the Netherlands in the late nineteenth century, as rapid industrialization led to increased urbanization, which in turn allowed diseases to spread much faster, although it did decrease from 1875 until today. The only times where the rate deviated were in the 1910s and 1940s, due to the Spanish Flu pandemic and the Second World War. By 2020, the child mortality rate of the Netherlands is expected to be just three deaths per thousand.

The data shows the statistics of different item-wise reports at the facility on a cumulative yearly basis in other states up to the sub-district level of 2012-2013. It included 1) Ante Natal Care (ANC) - Antenatal care (ANC) is a means to identify high-risk pregnancies and educate women so that they might experience healthier delivery and outcomes. 2) Deliveries - The delivery of the baby by the pregnant women 3) Number of Caesarean (C-Section) deliveries - Caesarean delivery (C-section) is used to deliver a baby through surgical incisions made in the abdomen and uterus. 4) Pregnancy outcome & details of new-born - The records kept of the pregnancy outcome along with the details of new-born 5) Complicated Pregnancies - The different pregnancies that were not normal and had complications 6) Post Natal Care (PNC) - Postnatal care is defined as care given to the mother and her new-born baby immediately after the birth of the placenta and for the first six weeks of life 7) Reproductive Tract Infections/Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTI/STI) Cases - The records of reproductive tract infections along with the records of the sexually transmitted cases 8) Family Planning - The different methods used by families to keep track of family 9) CHILD IMMUNISATION - The records of child immunisation which are records of vaccination 10) Number of cases of Childhood Diseases (0-5 years) - The records of the number of cases of childhood diseases within the age of 5 years old 11) NVBDCP - The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) is one of the most comprehensive and multi-faceted public health activities in the country and concerned with the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases, namely Malaria, Filariasis, Kala-azar, Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis (JE). 12) Adolescent Health - The record of the conditions of adolescent health 13 ) Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) - Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization 14) Patient Services - Patient Services means those which vary with the number of personnel; professional and para-professional skills of the personnel; specialised equipment, and reflect the intensity of the medical and psycho-social needs of the patients. 15) Laboratory Testing - A medical procedure that involves testing a sample of blood, urine, or other substance from the body. Laboratory tests can help determine a diagnosis, plan treatment, check if the treatment works, or monitor the disease over time. 16) Details of deaths reported with probable causes - The reports of deaths recorded with possible reasons are given in a detail 17) Vaccines - The reports of vaccines which are recorded 18) Syringes - It is the number of syringes that are used and recorded 19) Rashtriya Bal Swasthaya Karyakram (RBSK) - Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is an important initiative aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years to cover 4 'D's viz. Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development delays, including disability. 20) Coverage under WIFS JUNIOR - The coverage of the Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for children six to one 21) Maternal Death Reviews (MDR) - A maternal death review is cross-checking how the mother died. It provides a rare opportunity for a group of health staff and community members to learn from a tragic – and often preventable. 22) Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK)- This initiative provides free and cashless services to pregnant women, including normal deliveries and caesarean operations. It entitles all pregnant women in public health institutions to free and no-expense delivery, including caesarean section.

The infant mortality rate in Belgium, for children under the age of one year old, was almost 180 deaths per thousand births in 1835. This translated into roughly 18 percent of all babies born that year not surviving past their first birthday. This rate fluctuated over the next sixty years, before a downward trend began at the turn of the twentieth century. It amounted to three deaths per one thousand live births in the period between 2015 and 2020.

According to reports from Kilmarnock, Scotland, in the eighteenth century, smallpox claimed the lives of 622* people between 1728 and 1763. The reports show us that almost 95 percent of these deaths were recorded among infants and children below the age of six years, and roughly two thirds of all smallpox deaths were recorded among those aged below three years. The disproportion between adult and child deaths due to smallpox was not unique to Kilmarnock at this time, as studies from Sweden and Switzerland show similar results; these studies and comparisons can be used to highlight the important role that vaccination has played in lowering the the infant and child mortality rates across Europe.

In 1870, it is estimated that life expectancy from birth in the area of modern-day Iraq was just over the age of 31 years. Life expectancy would remain largely stagnant at this level for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, interrupted only by a temporary dip in the late-1910s as the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic would spread through the region. Life expectancy would begin to rise sharply in the years following the Second World War, however, as rising petroleum sales allowed a rapid modernization of the country, causing access to healthcare and standards of living to rise throughout the country. The large reductions in infant and child mortality were the driving force behind the increase in life expectancy.

This growth would continue steadily until the 1980s, when life expectancy would fall from just under 62 years in 1980, to 58.5 years in 1985, as the decade long Iran-Iraq War would lead to widespread fatalities and displacement in the country. As the fighting eased in the late 1980s, life expectancy began to rise once more in Iraq, reaching 69 years by the start of the 21st century. However, this growth would reverse once more in the 2000s, due to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, which in turn led to an insurgency of paramilitary and terrorist groups, and the subsequent civil war from 2011 to 2017. As Iraq continues its recovery following four decades of violence and instability, life expectancy is on the rise again, and in 2020, it is estimated that life expectancy from birth in Iraq is over seventy years.