title: Socioeconomic inequality in infant mortality in Iran and across its provinces.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the socioeconomic inequality in infant mortality in Iran (the Islamic Republic of Iran).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed data from the provincially representative Demographic and Health Survey, which was done in Iran in 2000. We used a dichotomous hierarchical ordered probit model to develop an indicator of socioeconomic status of households. We assessed the inequality in infant mortality by using the odds ratio of infant mortality between the lowest and highest socioeconomic quintiles at both the provincial and national levels, and the concentration index, an inequality measure based on the entire socioeconomic distribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a decreasing trend in the infant mortality rate in relation to socioeconomic quintiles. The poorest to richest odds ratio was 2.34 (95% CI = 1.78-3.09). The concentration index of infant mortality in Iran was -0.1789 (95% CI = -0.2193--0.1386). Furthermore, the inequality of infant mortality between the lowest and highest quintiles was significant and favoured the better-off in most of the provinces. However, this inequality varied between provinces.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socioeconomic inequality in infant mortality favours the better-off in the country as a whole and in most of its provinces, but the degree of this inequality varies between the provinces. As well as its national average, it is important to consider the provincial distribution of this indicator of population health.
authors.affiliation: Health Equity Team, Evidence and Information for Policy, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. hosseinpoora@who.int
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hosseinpoor
authors.forename: Kazem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mohammad
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Majdzadeh
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghavi
authors.forename: Farid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abolhassani
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Niko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Speybroeck
authors.forename: Hamid Reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Jamshidi
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vega
mesh_terms: D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D012923:Social Class