Mortalidade infantil e evitabilidade: perfil epidemiológico em uma região do Estado de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Analyze infant mortality caused by preventable causes in the Central Region of the Minas Gerais state from 1999 and 2011. Methods: It is a descriptive study, of data from the Information System on Mortality and Births of the Central Region, which covers data from 103 municipalities. The preventable infant deaths were classified in subgroups, according Brazilian List of Preventable Causes for Children Under Five Years. Mortality rates by subgroup and the main causes of death for each subgroup were analyzed. In statistical analysis, the Chi-Square test and tests to verify the normal distribution and homoscedasticity between groups were used. Results: Mortality rate suffered a 39,3% reduction; to the preventable death causes, the reduction was 46,9%. There was also a reduction in all categories; the highest occurred in subgroup Adequate Actions for Health Promotion (69,2%) and the lowest, for the subgroup Attention for Women during Gestation (17,1%). Conclusions: Preventable infant mortality reduced, which may reflect changes in the health system, like the increase in pre-natal health coverage; however, there is still a large share of preventable deaths. The low redcution in the subgroup Attention for Women during Gestation explain the need to evaluate the quality of pre-natal care.