ABSTRACT
Background: The analysis of infant mortality from congenital malformations, which at present is the main group of causes of this mortality in Chile, suggests that it could be decreased with a good knowledge of its conditioning factors. Aim: To study infant mortality differentials from congenital malformations with linked records, in the 1993 to 1995 Chilean birth cohorts. Material and methods: Analysis of mortality differentials in 1993,1994 and 1995 birth cohorts. Multivariate logistic regression of mortality from congenital diseases. Results: Univariate analysis showed that mortality is highest in the Southern regions of the country (VII to XII) and in rural areas. It is also higher in children from older and from very young mothers, it increases along with the birth order of the child and decreases with increasing educational level of the mother. Multiple logistic regression analysis, confirmed the higher mortality in the Southern regions, aged mothers, high birth order of the child and low educational level of the mother. However no significant influence of rurality nor greater mortality in children of very young mothers was found. Conclusions: These results can be attributed to the fact that this type of analysis permits the control with other variables. Although the mortality data showed interesting relationships with the independent variables, a registry of all live births and stillbirths with congenital anomalies, that would provide greater numbers and data on non fatal anomalies, would be desirable to better study their causal factors
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant, Newborn , Congenital Abnormalities/mortality , Infant Mortality/trends , Birth Order , Maternal Age , Educational StatusABSTRACT
Infant mortality in Chile decreased from 120 to 12 per thousand between 1960 and 1994. Outstanding events of ths "great descent" are reviewed, based on past research and on updated information. Demographic and socioeconomic changes and improvements in health care that occured during this period of decline are shown. It is estimated that 30 percent of the reduction of infant mortality between 1972 and 1982 was due to the decreasing proportion of biths of high mortality risk, as a consequence of the fertility decline imitiated in the mid 60s. Possible explanations for the continuing decline of infant mortality during the economic crisis of 1975 and 1982 are discussed. Finally, neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates by causes are compared between 1994 and causes of death in extreme groups of infant mortality differentials by age of mother, bith order, gestational age, place of residence and educational level of the mother are shown