Infant mortality in Mato Grosso, Brazil: trend and causes of death between 2007 and 2016

Abstract

Geographical and temporal variations in infant mortality subsidize the process of planning and assessing maternal and child health. This is a time-series study that set out to analyze the trend of infant mortality in Mato Grosso and its health regions from 2007 to 2016 and to identify the distribution of causes of death according to age group and birth weight. For the trend analysis, the infant mortality rates stratified by causes of death between 2007 and 2016 were evaluated using polynomial regression models. There was a decreasing linear trend in infant mortality rates in the state, but individually only four of the 16 health regions followed this trend. Half of the deaths occurred in the early neonatal period. Causes avoidable by adequate attention to women during pregnancy and childbirth and to the newborn represented 51.1% of the deaths. There was an increasing tendency of proportional mortality for causes not manifestly avoidable. It is acknowledged that it is important to know the trend of rates in order to define priority population groups for early interventions that increase survival and reduce infant mortality. In addition, the investigation of deaths in the state should be implemented to establish the underlying cause.