Case-control study on infant mortality in Southern Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To identify risk factors associated with infant mortality and, more specifically, with neonatal mortality.


METHODS
A case-control study was carried out in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, Southern Brazil. Characteristics of prenatal care and causes of mortality were assessed for all live births in the 2001-2002 period with a completed live-birth certificate and whose mothers lived in the municipality. Cases were defined as all deaths within the first year of life. As controls, there were selected the two children born immediately after each case in the same hospital, who were of the same sex, and did not die within their first year of life. Multivariate analysis was performed using conditional logistic regression.


RESULTS
There was a reduction in infant mortality, the greatest reduction was observed in the post-neonatal period. The variables gestational age (<36 weeks), birth weight (<2,500 g), and 5-minute Apgar (<6) remained in the final model of the multivariate analysis, after adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
Perinatal conditions comprise almost the totality of neonatal deaths, and the majority of deaths occur at delivery. The challenge for reducing infant mortality rate in the city is to reduce the mortality by perinatal conditions in the neonatal period.
Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, 950 Bairro Cristo Rei, 93022-000 São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil. karimendes@terra.com.br
Karina Giane
KG
Mendes
Maria Teresa Anselmo
MT
Olinto
Juvenal Soares Dias
JS
da Costa
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D015981:Epidemiologic Factors; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors