Post-neonatal mortality in Norway 1969-95: a cause-specific analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Social Medicine

Background:

• Previous research indicated growing social disparities in post-neonatal mortality.
• Socioeconomic status is a critical determinant of infant health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and cause-specific post-neonatal deaths.
• To quantify social inequalities in infant mortality by parental education levels.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1,483,857 live births from Norway's Medical Birth Registry (1969-1995).
• Inclusion of 4,464 post-neonatal deaths (28-364 days of life).
• Statistical estimation of differences using risk differences, relative risks, and relative index of inequality.

Main Results:

• Post-neonatal mortality decreased overall, largely due to fewer deaths from congenital conditions.
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) risk significantly increased among infants of mothers with low education.
• Relative risk of SIDS for infants of mothers with low education rose dramatically from 1.02 in the 1970s to 5.63 in the 1990s.

Conclusions:

• Rising social inequality in post-neonatal deaths is primarily driven by SIDS increases in low-education maternal groups.
• Social disparities in mortality widened for SIDS and infection-related deaths during the study period.
• Targeted interventions for vulnerable populations are crucial to reduce infant mortality inequalities.