Risk factors for deaths due to respiratory infections among Brazilian infants.
In a population based case-control study, 127 Brazilian infants who died due to a respiratory infection were compared with 254 neighbourhood controls. The main risk factors associated with mortality were low socioeconomic status (including low levels of parental education) and--after adjustment for socioeconomic status--lack of breastfeeding, lack of supplementation with non-milk foods, crowding, the number of under-fives in the family, lack of a flush toilet, low birthweight, low weight-for-age and having a young mother. In a multivariate analysis, the variables found to be most closely associated with mortality were breastfeeding, education of the father, the number of under-fives, family income and birthweight. Having a low weight-for-age was also strongly associated with mortality but the retrospective nature of the study makes this finding difficult to interpret.
Victora
C G
CG
Departmento de Medicina Social, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil.
Smith
P G
PG
Barros
F C
FC
Vaughan
J P
JP
Fuchs
S C
SC
D000208:Acute Disease; D001724:Birth Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003441:Crowding; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors