Abstract

LISBOA, Luiza; ABREU, Daisy Maria Xavier de; LANA, Ângela Maria Quintão  and  FRANCA, Elisabeth Barboza. Infant mortality: leading avoidable causes in the central region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1999-2011. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2015, vol.24, n.4, pp.711-720. ISSN 1679-4974.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the evolution of preventable infant mortality in the central region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, 1999-2011. METHODS: this was a descriptive study using data from national mortality and live birth information systems, with avoidable deaths being classified according to the Brazilian List of Preventable Deaths; infant mortality rates (IMR) were estimated according to intervention subgroups and leading causes of death. RESULTS: avoidable IMR decreased from 14.5 in 1999-2001 to 7.7/1000 live births in 2009-2011 (46.9%), with a greater reduction in the 'health promotion' subgroup (69.2%) and a smaller reduction in the 'care of the woman during pregnancy' subgroup (17.1%); however, between 2009-2011,65% of infant deaths were still due to avoidable causes. CONCLUSION: decrease of avoidable infant mortality in the region indicates positive health system changes; however, there are still large proportions of preventable deaths and, in particular, the challenge of better evaluation of the quality of prenatal care.

Keywords : Infant Mortality; Cause of Death; Health Services Accessibility; Epidemiology, Descriptive.

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