Infant mortality rate by regions of Brazil in the years 2009 to 2019 (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The epidemiological study aimed to describe the infant mortality rate by regions of Brazil in the years 2009 to 2019. For this purpose, data extracted from the SIM (Death Information System) and SINASC (Live Birth Information System) were used to calculate early neonatal, late neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates and construct infant mortality coefficients (the CMI is calculated based on deaths divided by live births in the corresponding region and year, and the result is multiplied by 1,000). Therefore, the values were compared and discussed, taking into consideration, the regions. In relation to early neonatal mortality (0 to 6 completed days), the North and Northeast regions presented the highest indicators, however among all Brazilian regions, the Northeast region was the one with the greatest drop between the years 2009 to 2019. In which refers to late neonatal mortality (7 to 27 completed), there was the same event as early neonatal mortality rates, with the highest rates being in the North region and the greatest difference in decline being in the Northeast region. In post-neonatal mortality, the North region also has the highest rates, but the greatest difference in decline was observed in the Central West region. A large decrease in infant mortality in the period from 2009 to 2019 is notable, however, a great effort is still needed to address the differences between regions and reach lower levels. Furthermore, such differences are related to the reality of each region, such as socioeconomic and environmental conditions, and directly influence health indicators and the effectiveness of health systems, showing the extent of social and health inequalities between populations.