Nigeria Neonatal Illness Severity and Careseeking Dataset

A dataset from seven verbal and social autopsy (VASA) studies in Africa and Asia, focusing on neonatal and infant mortality. It contains data used to develop a 2-sign and multiple sign method for classifying illness severity based on activity level and feeding behavior. The dataset examines the relationship between caregiver perception of illness severity and formal healthcare seeking during fatal illnesses.

Use Cases

• Training models to classify neonatal illness severity based on activity level and feeding behavior signs.
• Analyzing factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior for sick children in multiple countries.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the 2-sign method as a practical tool for identifying severe neonatal illness.

Strengths

• Data derived from seven distinct VASA studies, providing a multi-country perspective.
• Includes specific statistical findings, such as careseeking percentages for mild (15.0%-66.7%), moderate (30.5%-68.5%), and severe (8.4%-41.8%) neonatal illnesses.
• Methodology for classifying illness severity (2-sign and multiple sign methods) is explicitly described.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific seven studies conducted.

Provenance

Source

Henry D. Kalter via figshare.

Collection Method

Compiled from seven verbal and social autopsy (VASA) studies.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-22 17:46:33; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Studies conducted in Africa and Asia; dataset title specifies Nigeria.