One of the indicators of the overall development of the country, a characteristic of its economic and cultural level is the mortality of the population, and especially children. The calculation is based on the number of children who died during a certain period. There is also the term "infant mortality". This indicator most clearly reflects the demographic situation in the state. As well as the level of medical assistance to the population.
What is infant mortality?
Infant mortality is otherwise called child mortality. But this definition is not correct. Infancy is counted from zero to one year. And therefore, in order to calculate the demographic level of development in the country, these indicators are taken. Also, infant mortality is a kind of indicator that reflects all types of assistance to children and mothers, the socio-economic situation in the country, material and sanitary conditions. This indicator also includes the well-being of the population, the effectiveness of preventive work on epidemiological measures.
He alth authorities,after analyzing the dynamics and causes of child mortality, they can take a number of measures that will reduce the negative indicator. It also makes it possible to develop ways to combat the addictions of young people, to strengthen a he althy lifestyle. If the state and all its authorities will fight to reduce infant mortality, this will provide an opportunity to increase the birth rate and the level of socio-economic development.
Actual significance of the problem
Today, the demographic issue is very acute. Infant mortality in Russia every year becomes an increasingly relevant topic for discussion. Although since 1985 this figure in the Russian Federation has been steadily declining, in some regions the situation is the opposite. For example, according to 2015 data, the largest increase in infant mortality was registered in the Pskov, Kaluga, Smolensk and Oryol regions, as well as in Karachay-Cherkessia and the Republic of Mari El.
The he alth system highlights a number of reasons why the problem should be addressed.
- In infancy, the child is the least protected. Parents take full responsibility for the care and provision of the vital components of their child. If a crisis and an unstable economic and social situation begin in the country, then the population suffers first of all. It follows from this that parents cannot fully protect and provide their child with everything necessary.
- During the crisis in the state, reproductive he alth also declines. This can be influenced by a variety of factors, as well asthe percentage of pathological births is increasing, which very often leads to infant mortality.
- Instability of birth and death rates. This is especially evident if there is no proper material support and assistance from the state.
All of the above is only a small part of the problem, which is currently very acute. In order to reduce the rate of infant mortality, it is very important to identify the true causes of its occurrence.
Infant mortality: causes
The causes of infant mortality mainly depend on the level of development of the country. How timely medical and material assistance is provided to the population is reflected in demographics. If we take underdeveloped countries, the mortality rate is very high there, since babies and mothers cannot always be provided with timely assistance. In highly developed countries, this figure is declining, as many babies receive quality care.
Infant mortality has a number of causes that affect its level, such as:
- Exogenous - mainly occur in the perinatal period. If you help the baby in time, the child survives.
- Infectious diseases.
- Accidents.
- Respiratory tract diseases - sometimes a child cannot be given timely assistance, and he dies.
- Congenital anomalies.
- Pathological conditions that occurred during the perinatal period.
Seasonal mortality
Doctors foundthat child mortality occurs seasonally. The level rises in the winter and summer months, decreases in the autumn and spring. This pattern was established in the last century. The causes of infant mortality in the summer are due to the fact that the risk of infectious diseases increases. And, as you know, in hot weather, bacteria and viruses multiply ten times faster, therefore, the likelihood of a child becoming infected increases. And, if the mother's immunity is reduced, and the child was born weak, you need to take this very seriously.
In winter, the level of colds increases, and infant mortality is often associated with it. Respiratory diseases are considered one of the main reasons for the development of infant mortality during this period. Most often, children die from pneumonia, which is an exogenous cause. It can be noted that the summer mortality is decreasing. But, unfortunately, winter seasonality remains at a high level.
Infant mortality rate
Infant mortality is characterized from birth to one year. It is used to assess the he alth of the entire population in a country, as well as the quality of preventive work and medical care for women and children. Several medical forms have been adopted in which infant mortality must be recorded. These are the documents:
- Medical death certificate f. 106/y.
- Medical certificate of perinatal death f. 106 – 2/ y.
These two documents aremandatory for registration of infant death. To calculate the mortality rate, you need to know a certain formula, it looks like this:
number of children under one year old who died in a given year, correlate with the number of children born in a given calendar year
But these figures are not accurate, as the number of children born often fluctuates.
WHO recommends a new form of calculation that more accurately displays infant mortality. The Rats formula recommends making calculations like this:
PMS=(number of infants under 1 who died in a given year): (2/3 births in a given calendar year + 1/3 live births in the previous year) x 1000
This formula is more accurate, but in order for the indicator to be as accurate as possible, it is necessary to analyze infant mortality. Also, the infant mortality rate often fluctuates over time.
Infant mortality analysis
Knowing the indicator and conducting an analysis of mortality, you need to know what it includes:
- Number of dead children in the current calendar year.
- The number of deaths in each month during a calendar year.
- Number of dead children under one year old.
- Causes of death in children.
If you take into account the analysis data, you can set the level at which infant mortality will be visible. In this case, the formula may be different, it all depends on how reliable the results are needed. It should also be remembered that infant mortalitydistributed unevenly. All this is included in the general analysis of this phenomenon. The highest mortality rate is observed on the first day after birth, this is the main period. Further, the infant mortality rate is gradually decreasing.
Coefficient
There is a special coefficient that determines the mortality rate of children under one year old. Previously, the infant mortality rate was the same for all ages. To date, it has gradations: infant - from 0 to 1 year, and children - from 1 year to 15 years. In general, a tendency was noticed that the infant ratio coincides in its value with the mortality rate of people who have reached the age of fifty-five years.
The method of calculating the coefficient differs significantly from all other methods. All this is due to the fact that the infant mortality rate is constantly changing. Also, it can be drastic changes throughout the year, and it is sometimes very difficult to calculate the correct value. Therefore, calculations are made much simpler: they take the number of dead children in a certain period as a basis and correlate them with the number of children born. There are several more methods for calculating the coefficient, which include the characteristics of the data and the accuracy of the calculation.
Demographic grid
To make it easier to calculate infant mortality rates, a special demographic grid is used. It visually shows all the data for a certain period of time. Also, the demographic grid is needed in order to make it easiermatch dead babies with living ones.
It is a system of squares. The lines that are horizontal are the years of age. Vertical lines are calendar years. The number of births in a given calendar year is indicated by a certain number on the grid. Also diagonally there are lines that carry certain information. These are the lines of life, they indicate the date and year of birth. If death occurs, the line ends with a dot.
There are also special formulas for calculating infant mortality by number and date of birth.
Reducing mortality
The death rate is the main indicator of the he alth of the nation and the development of the state. And one of the analysis factors is the analysis of mortality up to a year. And also the reasons why children die. Also, one should not forget that the development of diseases and mortality directly depends on the work of he alth authorities and their effective functioning.
Infant mortality, the decline of which is due to the level of development of socio-economic spheres, should have low rates. And for this, methods of combating it should be applied and all spheres of life of both the population and the state should be involved. Key steps to reduce mortality should be:
- Support and strengthen the preventive link in he alth protection.
- Social and preventive measures aimed at improving the living standards of the population,conservation of the gene pool, environmental protection.
- He alth interventions to help detect and prevent various diseases.
- Rehab centers.
- Primary prevention for a he althy lifestyle.
