Abstract
Youth mortality is a challenge in South Africa, where on a daily basis a number of deaths are reported and are related to youth. This study used the 2014 Statistics South Africa data to examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on causes of death among South African youth aged 15-34 years, using a logistic regression model. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between education and causes of death as well as other sociodemographic factors and that the youth mortality will likely reduce if more youth have higher levels of education. The results of this study could be used to improve national prevention campaigns to reduce death among young South Africans, especially adolescents.
TopBackground
According to Statistics South Africa, Statistical release P0211.4.2 (2015), there was an improvement in the employment levels for the youth as about 44.5% of them are employed. It was noted that one out of every two young people who were unemployed and seeking employment only had education below matriculation. Borode (2011) suggests that the higher education curriculum in Sub-Saharan African countries should be amended so as to deal with the effects of the current education and training curriculum which have led to the observed high levels of unemployment. He asserts that the drive should focus on training in relevant scarce skills to ensure job market readiness. Higher education should be directed at producing graduates that are relevant to the economy, who would apply the acquired knowledge and skills to shape the economy and create jobs, rather than seeking for job opportunities as employees versus being entrepreneurs and employers.
The United Nations (UN, 2016) factsheet on youth and education established that education attainment can be used to reduce poverty and hunger, and also to promote sustainable developments in the world. UN further reports that globally, about 10.6% of the youth are uneducated and lack basic numerical and reading skills. As a result; there is high unemployment rate among the youth, since many do not have sufficient knowledge and skill to apply for decent jobs. The resultant inequality deters development amongst the youth. Over the years in all OECD and partner countries, there has being an increase in the levels of educational attainment. It was reported that 80% of young adults had education up to secondary level in 2000 in about 20 out of 35 OECD members. In 2016 the OECD countries on the average had 84% of the people aged between 25 – 54 years who had at least attained upper secondary education. This number had increased from the 75% reported in 2000. There was also a steady increase in the number of adults (aged 25 – 34) with secondary, post-secondary and tertiary education during the period 1970 to 2016.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Adolescence: A period following the commencement of puberty during which a young person develops from childhood into adulthood.
Youth: Young persons between age 15 and 34 years.
Death: Permanent cessation of functioning of the organism as a whole or action of being killed i.e. end of the life of a person or organism.
Level of Education: International Standard Classification for Education which represents a board section of education ladder (i.e., progression from elementary to more advanced level of learning).
Logistic Regression Model: A statistical method for analyzing dataset with categorical outcome variable.
Gender: A range of identities for either of the sexes especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological.
Mortality: Number of deaths by place, time, and underlying cause.