Factors associated with infant mortality. Countries members of who, year 2010

Abstract

The general objective of this study is to analyze the degree of association between infant mortality and sociodemographic, economic and environmental variables. It is a descriptive, correlational study with cross-sectional and retrospective design. Starting from data about 166 countries and using a correlation matrix, we analyze which indicators of the variables mentioned show a higher correlation index with infant mortality rate; collinearity is found with the cause of mother death and mortality due to communicable diseases. There is positive correlation with total fertility, mortality of adults between age 15 and 60, prevalence of tuberculosis and death by tuberculosis; it is thought that these indicators show social vulnerability. The indicators of education, drinking water and sewer coverage, prevalence of contraceptives and doctors every 10,000 inhabitants function asprotective agents. Gross national income per capita and government health expenditure per capita adjust as logarithms. A multiple regression allows the estimation of infant mortality according to registration rate of women at secondary school, prevalence of contraceptives and sewers. In Argentina there is no correlation between infant mortality and mother death or with provincial health expenditure per capita.