Cause-of-death data, as presented by Robert Black and colleagues (June 5, p 1969),1 will be important in guiding intervention priorities to reach Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4; to reduce mortality in children younger than 5 years by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015). India accounts for 21% of global deaths in children younger than 5 years; 54% of these deaths occur in the neonatal period.1,2 Two further steps are needed, however, to improve performance of countries that are currently unlikely to meet MDG 4, such as India.

For participatory women's groups to have a significant effect on neonatal mortality in rural Bangladesh, detailed attention to programme design and contextual factors, enhanced population coverage, and increased enrolment of newly pregnant women might be needed.