Infant survivorship and occurrence of multiple-births: A longitudinal community-based study, south west Ethiopia

Abstract

A one year live-birth cohort was studied in 46 urban and 64 rural 'kebeles' in south-west Ethiopia, in 1992-94. In order to recruit all live births in each of the study kebeles, pregnant women were identified in their second trimester and monitored by trained TBAs and enumerators using house to house visit. Each infant-mother pair of the cohort was visited soon after birth followed by regular bimonthly visit to the end of their first year or to an earlier death. Infant mortality was calculated as a life tables estimate using the 'survival' programme in SPSS. There were a total of 8162 births (8050 singletons, 111 twins and one set of triplets) of which 856 died, indicating an infant mortality of 104.8/1000 (estimated probability of surviving to 1 year 0.8952, with s.e. 0.004). The occurrence of multiple-births was 13.6/1000 live births. The infant mortality among them was 446.8/1000 (estimated probability of surviving to 364 days 0.5532, with s.e. 0.0034). This is a matter of serious concern. This study is the first of its kind based on rigorous study design, bigger sample size comprising different population groups and wider areas. The findings could help to formulate policy and health care programmes.

[Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2002;16(Special Issue):5-11]