Authors

1 PhD Student of Health Education and Health Promotion, Mother and Child Welfare Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

2 Gynecologist, Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

3 Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

4 PhD Student of Health Education and Health Promotion, Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background
The first year of life is of a great significance in promoting health and the quality of life. The present research aimed to determine the factors affecting the mortality of infants below the age of one year in Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Materials and Methods
The present retrospective research was conducted based on a questionnaire developed by the present researchers as well as the analysis of documents along with a phone interview. The data collection method was to review the files in the medical records of Bandar Abbas Children's Hospital in 2017. In case it was needed, visits were paid to the houses of the 342 infant participants who were under one year of age. The data entered SPSS 16.0 software.
Results
According to the present results, from 342 case (148 cases occurred in 2016 and 194 cases in 2015), 223 subjects (65.2%) had died during infancy and 119 subjects (34.8%) died between one month to one year of age. The highest frequency of death occurred within the first 7 days. The most important cause of infant death was sepsis and the primary cause of one month to one year children was preterm birth. Data analysis in the present study showed statistically significant relationship between the following variables and infant mortality: birth weight (p˂.001), type of delivery (p=0.045), type of infant nutrition (p<0.001), and type of birth (p=0.002)
Conclusion
The most important cause of infant death was sepsis and the primary cause of one month to one year children was preterm birth. Special attention to infancy particularly preterm infants, advertise natural delivery, and early diagnosis of congenital anomalies, can help to cut down on the rate of infant mortality.

Keywords