Dataset Information

Risk factors of infant mortality in rural The Gambia: a retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The main objective was to assess the risk factors for infant mortality among children living in the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in Farafenni, The Gambia. Our secondary objective was to assess these risks separately in the neonatal and postneonatal (>28 days) period.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

HDSS in an urban centre and surrounding area in The Gambia.

Patients

7365 infants (47% female) born between 2014 and 2018, of which 126 (1.71%) died in the first year.

Main outcome measures

Infant mortality.

Results

Risk factors for mortality were death of any sibling (HR 2.78, 95% CI 1.54 to 5.00), having a twin (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.80), being born in the harvest season (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.24), living in a rural village (HR 4.34, 95% CI 2.03 to 9.29) and longer distance to the nearest village with a public health centre (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.59). In addition, no breast feeding (HR 10.73, 95% CI 6.83 to 16.86) and no BCG vaccination in the first week of life (HR 3.47, 95% CI 1.07 to 11.24) were associated with infant mortality. Similar risk factors were found in the neonatal and postneonatal periods.

Conclusion

Most risk factors associated with infant mortality (neonatal and postneonatal) are not easily modifiable at the individual level and would require programmatic approaches to target vulnerable infants and facilitate access to health services.

SUBMITTER: Jarde A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8461724 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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