Proportion Of Infant Mortality Research Articles

Trendency analysis of infant mortality rate due to premature birth or low birth weight in China from 1996 to 2013

To study the secular trend and characteristics of infant mortality rate due to premature birth or low birth weight (IMRPL) in China from 1996 to 2013. Data used in this study was collected from the population-based Child's Health Surveillance Network of China. The Cochran-Armitage Trend test and Poisson regression were used to test the trend of IMRPL and explore the differences of the trend among different regions or areas. The nationwide IMRPL was 629.9 per 100 000 live births in 1996 and it decreased to 214.6 per 100 000 live births in 2013. The average annual decline rate was 6.14%, while the proportion of infant mortality due to premature birth or low birth weight in all infant deaths was on the rise with the average annual growth rate of 1.52%. And the proportion increased to 22.6% in 2013. IMRPLin rural and urban areas fell 28.1% and 66.6% respectively during 1996 and 2013. But the differences between urban and rural areas was obvious. During the same period, the average IMRPLin the central region was 1.40 times (95%CI:1.31-1.49) of that in the eastern region. And the average IMRPL in the western region was 2.25 times (95%CI:2.12-2.40) of that in the eastern region. The differences among different regions was obvious. Male infant mortality rate due to premature birth or low birth weight was 1.09 times (95%CI:1.05-1.14) of that in female infant from 1996 to 2013. The risk of IMRPL decreased substantially in China from 1996 to 2013. And the risk of IMRPL decreased more in rural areas than that in urban areas. The differences among different regions and areas were obvious. Premature birth or low birth weight as one of main factors has become a serious threat for health of Chinese children.

276 Infant Mortality from Infection over 2 Decades: Less GBS and Meningococcus, but Doubling of Deaths in very Preterm Infants

BackgroundInfection is an important cause of neonatal/infant mortality. Antenatal care, neonatal intensive care and immunisation practices affect infectious mortality, but no good data show how these deaths have changed over...

Infant mortality rate inequalities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Cape Town is undergoing rapid urbanization. South African vital statistics have routinely been stratified by racial categories but intra-urban and peri-urban geographical variations have been neglected. To examine variations in infant mortality rates (IMR) and proportional infant mortality between urban, rural and informally settled areas, stratified by racial category, birth notifications and infant death certifications recorded by a large health authority were analysed. The IMR per 1000 livebirths was as high for coloureds on rural farms (34, 95% confidence interval 29-40) as for blacks in informal settlements (35, 95% CI: 32-37) and an exceptionally high IMR (60, 95% CI: 43-82) was found for coloureds in informal settlements. Inequalities between racial categories (11 (95% CI: 9-14) for whites, 19 (95% CI: 18-21) for coloureds and 33 (95% CI: 31-35) for blacks) were as expected from other South African studies. Of rural farm deaths, 22% were ascribed to ill-defined causes. Low birthweight was the most common defined cause of death in all areas except rural farm areas (14% ascribed to pneumonia), and gastro-enteritis was important in informally settled areas (18%). Routine mortality data are more informative if stratified by robust and readily available indicators of socio-economic status such as residential area and racial category. Place of residence may distinguish risk strata as well as racial category, but the latter is helpful within socioeconomically heterogeneous residential areas.

Screening for Congenital Abnormalities

Improvements in nutrition, sanitation, housing, and medical care have been associated with reductions in infectious diseases of infancy, such as diarrhea, and, concomitantly, with a decline in infant mortality. Although deaths from congenital abnormalities have also decreased, the rate of their decline has not kept pace with the overall rate. Thus in the United States they have become the most frequent cause of infant death (58). For abnormalities detected in the newborn period, which comprise 3% of all births, about 8 per cent are due to single gene disorders, 6 to 12% to chromosome abnormalities, and less than 5% to viral infections of the mother (39,69). Little is known about underlying causes in the remainder; polygenic factors, environmental agents, and, probably the most common, genetic-environmental interactions, account for them. Congenital abnormalities also contribute substantially to childhood hospitalizations in several developed countries (17). One chromosome disorder, Down's syndrome, accounts for about 16 to 30% of all severe mental retardation, with other genetic and chromosome disorders contributing another 15 to 20% (58). Although the incidence of congenital abnormalities differs to some extent geographically (39), it seems likely that as any country develops, the proportion of infant mortality and childhood disability due to congenital abnormalities will increase.