title: [Spatial analysis of infant mortality and the adequacy of vital information: a proposal for defining priority areas].
abstract: This is an ecological study that sought to assess the relationship between the spatial clustering of infant mortality and the adequacy of vital information. The adequacy of information from the Brazilian Live Birth Database (SINASC) and Mortality Database (SIM) were examined using a validated method that uses five indicators calculated by municipality and population size. Municipalities were classified as either having consolidated data, data currently being consolidated, or not having consolidated data. Voronoi polygons were generated for spatial analysis in order to minimize any proximity issues among municipalities. The local Moran index was applied to identify spatial clustering of infant mortality. It was established that 76.2% of all municipalities had consolidated vital data. Infant mortality clustering was seen in 34 municipalities comprising three spatial clusters. An association was also found between the adequacy of vital information and the spatial clustering of infant mortality. Geostatistical techniques proved to have predictive power to identify spatial clustering with consolidated vital information. The approach will contribute to the improvement of data quality and can be used for planning actions seeking to reduce infant mortality.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil, mirellarod@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Diretoria de Pesquisas Sociais, Fundação Joaquim Nabuco.
authors.forename: Cristine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonfim
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil, mirellarod@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: José Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Portugal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira.
authors.forename: Paulo Germano
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: de Frias
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães.
authors.forename: Idê Gomes Dantas
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Gurgel
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil, mirellarod@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Tadeu Rodrigues
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães.
authors.forename: Zulma
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Medeiros
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007256:Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014798:Vital Statistics