Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

Background and Objectives Health  indicators reflect the health of the community and infant mortality rate is one of the most important indicators of health, economy and culture in each community that are taken into consideration in public health assessment. This study aimed to determine the rate and causes of mortality of children aged 1-59 month(s) in the hospitals of Kermanshah province.

Method and Materials: In this cross-sectional study, the registered cases of mortality of children aged 1-59 month(s) during 2011-2014 in Kermanshah province  were extracted Information included demographic characteristic (age, sex of the deceased, residence and county) and the children’s cause of death based on the tenth international classification of diseases (ICD-10) was collected. Child death cases in each year were divided by the number of births. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi- square test.

Results: Four hundred and thirty five deaths were recorded in the hospitals of Kermanshah province. The average age of children at death was 13.33 ± 13.99 months. Most death cases were related to boys (54.9 percent) and in terms of residence, 78% (337 cases) of people were in the city and the rest in the countryside. The highest mortality rate was in 2011 (3.6 deaths per thousand births) and the lowest in 2013 (2.5 deaths per thousand births). The most common cause of child death was related to injuries (18.6%) and the lowest cause of death was related to genitourinary system diseases (3%). The relation between gender and residence with the causes of infant mortality was not statistically significant (P>0.05).

Conclusion: According to the most important causes of death, designing interventions and educating parents and children about the prevention of injuries and raising parents awareness about the signs and symptoms of diseases, especially respiratory system diseases seem to be essential to reduce child mortality.

Key words: Rate, Mortality, Children aged 1-59 month(s), Kermanshah

Funding: This study was funded by Research and Technology Deputy of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences approved the study.

How to cite this article: Izadi N, Shetabi HR, Bakhtiari S, Janatalmakan M, Parabi M, Ahmadi K. The Rate and Causes of Infant Mortaliry in the Hospitals of Kermanshah Province During 2011-2014. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2016; 15(2): 129-38. [Farsi]