Timing of infant mortality in French Guiana: The persistence of high post neonatal mortality.

BACKGROUND: Infant mortality in French Guiana, a French overseas territory, is 2.7 times greater than in mainland France. Given the importance of better understanding infant mortality we aimed to describe the early & late neonatal, and postneonatal mortality in French Guiana between 2007 and 2022. METHODS: We used data from the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques to describe trends and performed survival analysis. RESULTS: Overall, there were 1 073 deaths before one year of age, of which 297 (27.7 %) occurred on the first day of life. The overall proportion of early neonatal deaths was 47.1 %, late neonatal deaths was 17.3 %, and post-neonatal deaths was 35.6 %. The overall incidences were 4.6 per 1,000 for early neonatal mortality, 1.4 per 1,000 for late neonatal mortality, and 3.1 per 1,000 for post neonatal mortality. The incidence for infant mortality for French Guiana residents was thus 9.1 per 1,000. CONCLUSIONS: We show that post neonatal deaths in French Guiana are proportionally greater than in mainland France and they do not seem to decline, as they did in France. The relative proportions of post-neonatal mortality can thus help to identify important areas for action to correct excess infant mortality. Although poor pregnancy follow-up remains a problem we show that follow-up of infants is also a pressing problem that warrants increased efforts.

Infant mortality in Italy: large geographic and ethnic inequalities.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal and infant mortality rates are among the most significant indicators for assessing a country's healthcare and social development. This study examined the trends in neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality in Italy from 2016 to 2020 and analysed differences between children of Italian and foreign parents based on areas of residence, as well as the leading causes of death. Special attention was given to the analysis of mortality in 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its comparison with previous years. METHODS: Data from 2016 to 2020 were collected by the Italian National Institute of Statistics and extracted from two national databases, the Causes of Death register and Live births registered in the population register. Neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality rates were calculated using conventional definitions. The main analyses were conducted by comparing Italian citizens to foreigners and contrasting residents of the North with those of the South. Group comparisons were made using mortality rate ratios. The main causes of death were examined, and Poisson log-linear regression models were employed to investigate the relationships between mortality rate ratios for each cause of death and citizenship, place of residence and calendar year. RESULTS: In Italy, in 2020, the neonatal mortality rate was 1.76 deaths per thousand live births and it was 55% higher in foreign children than in Italian children. Foreign children had a higher mortality rate than Italians for almost all significant causes of death. Children born in the South of Italy, both Italian and foreign, had an infant mortality rate about 70% higher than residents in the North. Regions with higher infant mortality were Calabria, Sicily, Campania, and Apulia. In the South, mortality from neonatal respiratory distress and prematurity was higher. In the first months of 2020, between March and June, the first Covid-19 wave, Italy experienced an increase in neonatal and infant mortality compared to the same period in 2016-2019, not directly related to SARS-CoV-19 infection. The primary cause was neonatal respiratory distress. CONCLUSIONS: The neonatal and infant mortality rates indicate the persistence of profound inequalities in Italy between the North and the South and between Italian and foreign children.

Predictors and disparities in neonatal and under 5 mortality in rural Pakistan: cross sectional analysis.

Background: Adopted in 2015, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have set specific targets (SDG 3.2) for countries to reduce their neonatal mortality rate (NMR) to below 12 deaths per 1000 live births and under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) to below 25 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030. For Pakistan to achieve these targets, there is a need to measure these rates and understand the predictors of child mortality at sub-national level. Launched in 2016, the Umeed-e-Nau (UeN) or New Hope project is based on scaling up proven and effective Maternal and Newborn Child Health (MNCH) interventions in 8 of the highest burden districts of the country, using existing public sector platforms in Pakistan at both the community and facility level. The primary aim of the project is to reduce perinatal mortality in these districts by 20% from baseline. Methods: We report overall neonatal and post neonatal mortality rates for the two years preceding the UeN baseline household survey. Rates were calculated using the synthetic cohort probability method and predictors of neonatal and post neonatal mortality examined using Cox regression. To investigate spatial variations in the mortality rates, we calculated Moran's I at the district level using predicted probabilities of mortality. Finally, we create district level maps of predicted under 5 child mortality using a stochastic partial differentiation approach. Findings: A total of 26,258 children contributed to the analysis of mortality with 838 deaths in the neonatal period and 2236 under-5 deaths during the observation period from March 1, 2015 to March 17, 2017. Overall, we estimated the NMR to be 29.2 per 1000 live births (95% CI: 26.9-31.4) and the U5MR to be 86.1 per 1000 live births (95% CI: 85.5-86.8). We found evidence of within-district geospatial clustering of under 5 mortality (P < 0.0001) and that social factors (poverty, illiteracy, multiparity), poor coverage of community health workers and distance from health facilities were strongly associated with child mortality. Interpretation: Important factors associated with neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in our study population included maternal education, parity, household size and gender. Additionally, antenatal care coverage (at least 4 visits) was specifically associated with neonatal mortality only, whereas, LHW coverage and distance to health facility were strongly associated with post-neonatal mortality. These findings emphasise the need for comprehensive, multisectoral strategies to be implemented for future maternal and child health programs and outreach services in rural areas. Funding: The study was funded by an unrestricted grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Aga Khan University (Grant OPP 1148892).

An analysis of factors associated with neonatal, post-neonatal and child mortality in Haiti, including breastfeeding as a time-dependent variable.

AIM: The main objective of the study was to identify factors associated with neonatal, post-neonatal and child mortality. The study also investigated breastfeeding status as a time-dependent variable. METHODS: The 2016-2017 Haitian Demographic and Health Survey was analysed. The analysis was done on 6530 live births. Time-constant and time-dependent multivariable Royston-Parmar spline models were used to identify associated factors for all three age groups. Restricted mean survival times were calculated for the different levels of the breastfeeding variable for each age group. RESULTS: Neonates and post-neonates who were not breastfed were associated with increased mortality, hazard ratio (HR) 22.13 (95% confidence interval (CI), 16.40-29.87) and HR 4.99 (95% CI, 3.29-7.56), respectively. Males in the child age group were associated with increased mortality, HR 2.04 (95% CI, 1.29-3.23) and HR 2.03 (95% CI, 1.28-3.21) under the time-constant and time-dependent models, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Early initiation of breastfeeding and breastfeeding throughout the post-neonatal period is recommended. Outreach programmes that provide support and education for vulnerable families are also recommended.

Effect of Maternal Healthcare Utilization on Early Neonatal, Neonatal and Post-Neonatal Mortality in India.

This paper examines the effect of maternal healthcare utilization on early neonatal, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in India using the recent round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data. At the national level, for the last live birth of women during the five year preceding the survey, the early neonatal mortality rate was about 16, neonatal mortality rate was 19 and post-neonatal mortality was 7 per thousand live births. Also, only one-fifth of women who had a birth in the past five years received full antenatal care (ANC), 83 percent women received safe delivery and 65 percent women received post-natal care. Findings of the study indicate that full ANC and postnatal care were significantly associated with early neonatal and neonatal mortality. However, no significant association between safe delivery and newborn mortality were found after adjusting the socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Therefore, for a policy point of view, there is a dire need to strengthen supply dependent factors regarding public awareness, accessibility, and affordability of maternal and child healthcare services. It is also necessary to focus on increasing utilization along with continuum of care of maternal and child healthcare services to sustain the reduction in mortality during infancy.

Inequities in child survival in Nigerian communities during the Sustainable Development Goal era: insights from analysis of 2016/2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.

BACKGROUND: Child survival is a major concern in Nigeria, as it contributes 13% of the global under-five mortalities. Although studies have examined the determinants of under-five mortality in Nigeria, the comparative roles of social determinants of health at the different stages of early childhood development have not been concurrently investigated. This study, therefore, aimed to identify the social determinants of age-specific childhood (0-59 months) mortalities, which are disaggregated into neonatal mortality (0-27 days), post-neonatal mortality (1-11 months) and child mortality (12-59 months), and estimate the within-and between-community variations of mortality among under-five children in Nigeria. This study provides evidence to guide stakeholders in planning for effective child survival strategies in the Nigerian communities during the Sustainable Development Goals era. METHODS: Using the 2016/2017 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, we performed multilevel multinomial logistic regression analysis on data of a nationally representative sample of 29,786 (weighted = 30,960) live births delivered 5 years before the survey to 18,497 women aged 15-49 years and nested within 16,151 households and 2227 communities. RESULTS: Determinants of under-five mortality differ across the neonatal, post-neonatal and toddler/pre-school stages in Nigeria. Unexpectedly, attendance of skilled health providers during delivery was associated with an increased neonatal mortality risk, although its effect disappeared during post-neonatal and toddler/pre-school stages. Also, our study found maternal-level factors such as maternal education, contraceptive use, maternal wealth index, parity, death of previous children, and quality of perinatal care accounted for high variation (39%) in childhood mortalities across the communities. The inclusion of other compositional and contextual factors had no significant additional effect on childhood mortality risks across the communities. CONCLUSION: This study reinforces the importance of maternal-level factors in reducing childhood mortality, independent of the child, household, and community-level characteristics in the Nigerian communities. To tackle childhood mortalities in the communities, government-led strategies should prioritize implementation of community-based and community-specific interventions aimed at improving socioeconomic conditions of women. Training and continuous mentoring with adequate supervision of skilled health workers must be ensured to improve the quality of perinatal care in Nigeria.

Inequalities in early childhood mortality in Myanmar - Association between parents' socioeconomic status and early childhood mortality.

BACKGROUND: Despite global achievements in reducing early childhood mortality, disparities remain. There have been empirical studies of inequalities conducted in low- and middle-income countries. However, there have been no epidemiological studies on socioeconomic inequalities and early childhood survival in Myanmar. OBJECTIVE: To estimate associations between two measures of parental socioeconomic status - household wealth and education - and age-specific early childhood mortality in Myanmar. METHODS: Using cross-sectional data obtained from the Myanmar Demographic Health Survey (2015-2016), univariate and multiple logistic regressions were performed to investigate associations between household wealth and highest attained parental education, and under-5, neonatal, post-neonatal and child mortality. Data for 10,081 children born to 5,932 married women (aged 15-49 years) 10 years prior to the survey, were analysed. RESULTS: Mortality during the first five years was associated with household wealth. In multiple logistic models, wealth was protective for post-neonatal mortality. After adjusting for individual proximate determinants, the odds of post-neonatal mortality in the richest households were 85% lower (95% CI: 50-96%) than in the poorest households. However, significant association was not found between wealth and neonatal mortality. Parental education was important for early childhood mortality; the highest benefit from parental education was for child mortality in the one- to five-year age bracket. After adjusting for proximate determinants, children with a higher educated parent had 95% (95% CI 77-99%) lower odds of death in this age group compared with children whose parents' highest educational attainment was at primary level. The association between parental education and neonatal mortality was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In Myanmar, household wealth and parental education are important for childhood survival before five years of age. This study identified nuanced age-related differences in associations. Health policy must take socioeconomic determinants into account in order to address unfair inequalities in early childhood mortality.

Have inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific child mortality between countries declined across the world?

BACKGROUND: Comparing the distribution of all cause or cause-specific child mortality in countries by income and its progress over time has not been rigorously monitored, and hence remains unknown. We therefore aimed to analyze child mortality disparities between countries with respect to income level and progression for the period 2000-2015, and further explored the convergence of unequal income levels across the globe. METHODS: Four types of measures were used to assess the degree of inequality across countries: difference and ratio of child mortality rate, the concentration index, and the Erreygers index. To assess the longitudinal trend of unequal child mortality rate by wealth ranking, hierarchical mixed effect analysis was used to examine any significant changes in the slope of under-5 child mortality rate by GDP per capita between 2000 and 2015. RESULTS: All four measures reveal significant inequalities across the countries by income level. Compared with children in the least deprived socioeconomic quintile, the mortality rate for children in the most deprived socioeconomic quintile was nearly 20.7 times higher (95% Confidence Interval: 20.5-20.8) in 2000, and 12.2 times (95% CI: 12.1-12.3) higher in 2015. Globally, the relative and absolute inequality of child mortality between the first and fifth quintiles have declined over time in all diseases, but was more pronounced for infectious diseases (pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and meningitis). In 2000, post-neonatal children in the first quintile had 105.3 times (95% CI: 100.8-110.0) and 216.3 times (95% CI: 202.5-231.2) higher risks of pneumonia- and diarrhea-specific child mortality than children in the fifth quintile. In 2015, the corresponding rate ratios had decreased to 59.3 (95% CI: 56.5-62.1) and 101.9 (95% CI: 94.3-110.0) times. However, compared with non-communicable disease, infectious diseases still show a far more severe disparity between income quintile. Mixed effect analysis demonstrates the convergence of under-5 mortality in 194 countries across income levels. CONCLUSION: Grand convergence in child mortality, particularly in post neonatal children, suggests that the global community has witnessed success to some extent in controlling infectious diseases. To our knowledge, this study is the first to assess worldwide inequalities in cause-specific child mortality and its time trend by wealth.

How can we make international comparisons of infant mortality in high income countries based on aggregate data more relevant to policy?

BACKGROUND: Infant mortality rates are commonly used to compare the health of populations. Observed differences are often attributed to variation in child health care quality. However, any differences are at least partly explained by variation in the prevalence of risk factors at birth, such as low birth weight. This distinction is important for designing interventions to reduce infant mortality. We suggest a simple method for decomposing inter-country differences in crude infant mortality rates into two metrics representing risk factors operating before and after birth. METHODS: We used data from 7 European countries participating in the EURO-PERISTAT project in 2010. We calculated crude and birth weight-standardised stillbirth and infant mortality rates using Norway as the standard population. We decomposed between-country differences in crude stillbirth and infant mortality rates into the within-country difference in crude and birth weight-standardised stillbirth and infant mortality rates (metric 1), reflecting prenatal risk factors, and the between-country difference in birth weight-standardised stillbirth and infant mortality rates (metric 2), reflecting risk factors operating after birth. We also calculated birth weight-specific mortality. RESULTS: Using our metrics, we showed that for England, Wales and Scotland risk factors before and after birth contributed equally to the differences in crude stillbirth and infant mortality rates relative to Norway. In Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland the differences were driven primarily by metric 1, reflecting high rate of low birth weight. The highest values of metric 2 observed in Poland partially reflected high rates of congenital anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: Our suggested metrics can be used to guide policy decisions on preventing infant deaths through reducing risk factors at birth or improving the care of babies after birth. Aggregate data tabulated by birth weight/gestational age should be routinely collected and published in high-income countries where birth weight is reported on birth certificates.

Rural-urban differentials in the rates and factors associated with post-neonatal mortality in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2013 national household survey.

BACKGROUND: The burden of post-neonatal mortality remains considerably high in Nigeria. This study examines the rural-urban differences in post-neonatal mortality rates (PNMR) and associated factors in Nigeria. METHODS: Dataset from the 2013 Nigeria demographic and health survey, disaggregated by rural-urban residence, was analyzed. PNMR was reported using frequency tabulation, whereas, factors associated were first evaluated using Chi-Square test and further examined using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 30384 singleton livebirths (20449 in rural and 9935 in urban residences) in the five years preceding the survey was included in this study. PNMR in rural and urban residences were 34 (95%CI: 31 - 38) and 22 (95%CI: 18 - 26) deaths per 1000 live births (P<0.001), respectively. In rural residence, living in the South-West region reduced the odds of post-neonatal mortality by 63% (Adjusted OR [AOR]: 0.372, 95%CI: 0.187 - 0.732)). In urban residence, poor wealth index (AOR: 1.660, 95%CI: 1.024 - 2.689), living in the South-East region (AOR: 2.902, 95%CI: 1.470 - 5.726), and home delivery (AOR: 1.539, 95%CI: 1.016 - 2.330) increased the odds of post-neonatal mortality. Regardless of residence, the use of solid cooking-fuels (Rural: AOR: 2.394, 95%CI: 1.211 - 4.734; Urban: AOR: 1.912, 95%CI: 1.206 - 3.030), birth interval < 24 months (Rural: AOR: 1.880, 95%CI: 1.557 - 2.270; Urban: AOR: 1.630, 95%CI: 1.042 - 2.550) and lack of breastfeeding (Rural: AOR: 2.547, 95%CI: 2.089 - 3.105; Urban: AOR: 2.152, 95%CI: 1.496 - 3.096) increased the odds of post-neonatal mortality. CONCLUSION: PNMR and associated factors differ in rural and urban Nigeria. Post-neonates in urban areas had better survival chances. Intervention efforts would need to prioritize findings in this study. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The effect of war on infant mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suffered from war and lingering conflicts in East DRC and has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Prior research has documented increases in infant and child mortality associated with war, but the empirical evidence is limited in several respects. Measures of conflict are quite crude or conflict is not tightly linked to periods of exposure to infant death. Few studies have distinguished between the effects of war on neonatal versus post-neonatal infants. No study has considered possible differences between women who give birth during wartime and those who do not that may be related to greater infant mortality. METHODS: The analysis used the nationally representative sample of 15,103 mothers and 53,768 children from the 2007 and 2013/2014 Demographic Health Survey in the DRC and indicators of conflict events and conflict deaths from the 2013 Uppsala Conflict Data. To account for unobserved heterogeneity across women, a multi-level modeling approach was followed by grouping all births for each woman and estimating random intercepts in discrete time event history models. RESULTS: Post-neonatal mortality increased during the Congolese wars, and was highest where conflict events and deaths were extreme. Neonatal mortality was not associated with conflict levels. Infant mortality was not higher in East DRC, where conflicts continued during the post Congolese war period. Models specifying unobserved differences between mothers who give birth during war and those who have children in peacetime did not reduce the estimated effect of war, i.e., no support was found for selectivity in the sample of births during war. CONCLUSION: Differences in effects of the Congolese war on neonatal versus post-neonatal mortality suggest that conflict influences the conditions of infants' lives more than the aspects of mothers' pregnancy conditions and delivery that are relevant for infant mortality. These differences may, however, be specific to the nature of conflict and prior conditions in the DRC. Because of continued political instability, violent conflict may be expected to continue in contexts such as the DRC; we must therefore continue to document, analyze and monitor the mechanisms through which war influences infant mortality.

Fatores associados aos óbitos neonatais e pós-neonatais em Moçambique / Factores asociados a los óbitos neonatales e postneonatales en Mozambique / Factors related to neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in Mozambique

Este trabalho procura descrever e analisar os fatores associados aos óbitos neonatais e pós-neonatais em Moçambique, entre 1998 e 2003, com base nas informações da Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Foram utilizadas as distribuições de frequência das características selecionadas, segundo os segmentos neonatal e pós-neonatal. Empregou-se, também, a regressão logística de resposta binária, múltipla, com entrada sequencial das variáveis, de forma a verificar a mudança na magnitude e a significância dos coeficientes. Entre alguns resultados obtidos, destacam-se os fatores que se relacionaram de forma inequívoca ao aumento da chance de mortalidade neonatal e pós-neonatal: ser o primeiro filho; tamanho pequeno ao nascimento; e residência na região Norte. A idade da mãe entre 30 e 34 anos revelou-se elemento protetor do óbito infantil nos dois segmentos, enquanto a faixa de 10 a 19 anos apresentou-se como fator de aumento da chance do óbito pós-neonatal. O tamanho grande ao nascimento mostrou-se protetor no caso do segmento pós-neonatal, assim como a residência na região Sul. Finalmente, o parto domiciliar revelou-se deletério ao óbito pósneonatal.

Este trabajo procura describir y analizar los factores asociados a los óbitos neonatales y postneonatales en Mozambique, entre 1998 y 2003, en base a la información de Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Se utilizaron las distribuciones de frecuencia de las características seleccionadas, conforme el segmento neonatal y postneonatal. Se empleó, también, la regresión logística de respuesta binaria, múltiple, con entrada secuencial de las variables, de forma que se pudiese verificar el cambio en la magnitud y la relevancia de los coeficientes. Entre algunos de los resultados obtenidos, se destacan los factores que se relacionaron de forma inequívoca con el aumento de la probabilidad de mortalidad neonatal y postneonatal: ser el primer hijo; tamaño pequeño al nacer; y residir en la región Norte. La edad de la madre entre 30 y 34 años se reveló como un elemento protector del óbito infantil en los dos segmentos, mientras que para la franja de los 10 a 19 años se presentó como un factor de aumento de la probabilidad de óbito postneonatal. El tamaño grande en el nacimiento se mostró como protector en el caso del segmento postneonatal, así como residir en la región Sur. Finalmente, el parto en el domicilio se reveló deletéreo para el óbito postneonatal.

This article describes and analyzes factors related to neonatal and post-neonatal deaths in Mozambique between 1998 and 2003, based on information from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Distributions in the frequency of the selected characteristics for the neonatal and post-neonatal segments were studied. Multiple logistic regression with binary responses, and sequential entrance of the variables were used in order to verify changes in the levels and significance of the coefficients. The most important findings are related to the unequivocal associated factors in the odds of neonatal and post-neonatal deaths, such as being the first child, small size at birth, and residence in the northern region of the country. Mothers' being between the ages of 30 and 34 was seen as a protective element against infant mortality in both segments. In contrast, mothers being in the age group between 10 and 19 was shown to be a factor that increased odds of post-neonatal death. Size at birth was also seen as a factor of protection for the post-neonatal segment, as was residence in the southern region of Mozambique. Finally, the death rate was lower among post-neonatal newborns who were given birth at home.

Série histórica comparativa da mortalidade infantil no Brasil, no Rio Grande do Sul, na região norte do Rio Grande do Sul e no município de Passo Fundo, de 1998 a 2007 / Comparative historical series of infant mortality in Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul, in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul and in the city of Passo Fundo, 1998-2007

Introdução: O coeficiente de mortalidade infantil (CMI) mede o nível de saúde e desenvolvimento social populacional. Associado ao conhecimento das causas básicas de óbito, auxilia na vigilância epidemiológica dos agravos à saúde e no planejamento de ações preventivas. Objetivos: Descrever e comparar a evolução do CMI no Brasil, no Rio Grande do Sul (RS), na região norte do RS (6a CRS) e no município de Passo Fundo (PF), no período de 1998 a 2007, analisando e estratificando os óbitos em neonatais e pós-neonatais e correlacionar esses dados com as intervenções realizadas. Métodos: Estudo descritivo e comparativo com dados do Sistema de Informação em Mortalidade (SIM) do Núcleo de Informações em Saúde (NIS/RS), programa TABWIN do DATASUS e Comitê de Mortalidade Infantil da 6a CRS. Resultados: Houve redução do CMI de 30,43 para 21,17 (até 2005) no Brasil, de 17,30 para 12,70 no RS, de 17,08 para 12,80 na 6a CRS e de 17,23 para 14,60 em PF. No Brasil houve redução constante, no RS um aumento não significativo em 2003, e em PF houve aumento nos anos de 2000 a 2004, com queda significativa em 2005 e novo aumento em 2007, influenciando o CMI regional. Conclusões: Observou-se que as políticas de saúde implementadas para a redução do CMI foram efetivas. A análise estratificada do CMI tornou mais claras as medidas a serem tomadas, auxiliando na elaboração de estratégias públicas adequadas e ratificando que a vigilância deve ser mantida e aprimorada para que o CMI mantenha-se em queda.

Introduction: The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is a measure of the health level and social development of a population. In conjunction with knowledge of the basic causes of death, the IMR is helpful in the epidemiological surveillance of health risks and in planning preventive strategies. Aims: To describe and compare the course of the IMR in Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul and in the city of Passo Fundo (PF) from 1998 to 2007, analyzing and sorting the deaths into neonatal and post-neonatal and correlating these data with the interventions used. Methods: A descriptive, comparative study of data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) of the Health Information Nucleus (NIS/RS), program TABWIN of DATASUS, and Infant Mortality Committee of the 6th CRS. Results: The IMR fell from 30.43 to 21.17 (until 2005) in Brazil, from 17.30 to 12.,70 in RS, from 17.08 to 12.80 in the 6th CRS, and from 17.23 to 14.60 in PF. In Brazil the drop was constant, but in RS there was an insignificant rise in 2003. In PF the IMR increased in years 2000 and 2004, with a significant drop in 2005 and a new rise in 2007, affecting the regional IMR. Conclusions: It was observed that the health policies implemented to reduce the IMR were effective. The stratified analysis of the IMR helped to identify the best measures to be taken and to plan appropriate public health strategies, confirming that urveillance must be continued and improved so that the IMR keeps falling.

Tendências da mortalidade infantil no Estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil, 1979 a 2004 / Childhood mortality trends in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil,1979-2004

A taxa de mortalidade infantil é utilizada como indicador da qualidade de vida das nações, da organização dos serviços de saúde e da assistência e, no Brasil, é observada uma tendência à queda deste indicador. Objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar as tendências da mortalidade infantil da série histórica dos coeficientes de mortalidade infantil e de seus componentes no Estado do Espírito Santo no período de 1979 a 2004. Trata-se de um estudo de série histórica cuja fonte de dados é composta pelos bancos de dados do SIM, IBGE e SINASC. As análises das tendências constituem-se de cálculos das retas de regressão linear para o coeficiente de mortalidade infantil e de seus componentes pelo programa SPSS, versão 12.0 e o programa MicrosoftOffice Excel, versão 2003. As tendências do coeficiente de mortalidade infantil e seus componentes no Estado do Espírito Santo são decrescentes e estatisticamente significantes(p<0,0001). O componente pós-neonatal apresenta-se como maior índice de queda e o neonatal como o que mais contribui para a mortalidade infantil, devido ao elevado número de mortes neonatais precoces. De todos os componentes da mortalidade infantil, o que apresenta menor redução é o neonatal tardio. É necessária a intensificação de esforços na tentativa de ampliar o acesso à assistência materno-infantil com qualidade a fim de reduzir as altas taxas de mortalidade neonatal, especialmente a neonatal precoce.

Childhood mortality rate, used as an indicator of the qualityof life of nations and of the organization of health careservices, has been falling in Brazil. This study attempted toidentify childhood mortality trends through the historicalseries of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, during the period1979-2004. The data were obtained from the BrazilianMortality Information System (SIM), Geography and StatisticsInstitute (IBGE) and Live Birth Information System(SINASC) databanks. Trend analyses were made throughlinear regression calculations for the childhood mortalityrate and its components, with the SPSS version 12.0 andMicrosoft Office Excel, version 2003 programs. Therewas a statistically significant (p<0.0001) decreasing trendfor the childhood mortality rate and its components in thestate of Espírito Santo. While the post-neonatal componentexperienced the largest decrease, the neonatal componentwas the greatest contributor to childhood mortality, dueto the large number of early neonatal deaths. Of all thecomponents of childhood death, the smallest reduction wasseen in the late neonatal period. Improved access to qualitymother-child care is necessary to reduce the high neonatalmortality rates, especially early neonatal ones.

Mortalidade infantil em município do interior do estado de São Paulo / Mortalidad infantil en el municipio del interior del estado de São Paulo / Infanty mortality in a county of the hinterland of São Paulo state

Considerando que a mortalidade infantil é indicador dos níveis de saúde da população, realizamos este trabalho, cujo objetivo foi identificar as causas de mortalidade infantil no ano de 1998 em Botucatu. O coeficiente de mortalidade infantil obtido foi 12/1000 NV, com maior participação dos óbitos neonatais - 8,3/1000 NV A maior parte dos óbitos foi classificada como reduzível ou parcialmente reduzível, mas a atenção necessária para viabilizar tal redução foi variada. Dos óbitos ocorridos, 21,7 por cento eram inevitáveis, evidenciando que para redução dos índices de mortalidade infantil deveremos continuar investindo na qualidade da assistência à saúde e melhoria das condições de vida da população.

Considering that infant mortality indicates the levels of health in the population, we have accomplished the foolwing work, which goals were to identify the causes of infanty mortality during the year of 1998 in Botucatu. The rate of infanty mortality obtained was as much as 12/1000born alive with greater participation of the neonatal deaths - 8,311000 born alive. Though most of dealths can be classified as reducible or partially reducible, but the necessary attentionto make such reduction possible has varied. All the deaths that have occurred, 21,7 percent were classified as unavoidable, emphasizing that to reduce the rates of infant mortality, we must continue investing on the quality of health assistance as well as on the improvement of life conditions of the population.

Considerando que la mortalidad infantil es indicador de los niveles de salud de la población, hemos realizado este trabajo, cuyo objetivo fue identificar las causas de mortalidad infantil en el año de 1998 en Botucatu. El coeficiente de mortalidad infantil obtenido fue 12/1000 NV, con mayor participación de los óbitos neonatales - 8,3/1000 NV. La mayor parte de los óbitos fue clarificada como reductible o parcialmente reductible, pero la atención necesaria para viabilizar tal reducción fue variada. De los óbitos ocurridos, el 21,7 por ciento Bran inevitables, evidenciando que para reducción de los índices de mortalidad infantil deberemos seguir invirtiendo en la calidad de la asistencia a la salud y mejora de las condiciones de vida de la población.