Infant mortality in rural Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to estimate the level of infant mortality in the rural area of Saudi Arabia central region.

Rural villages in the Riyadh area.

A prospective study of a cohort of infants born in 1987 until they were one year old.

Five random villages were selected by simple random method. All the babies born in these villages were identified by a group of trained nurses. These nurses collected morbidity and mortality data on these children each time the events occurred using a structured data collection form. Data were analyzed using relevant demographic and statistical techniques.

A total of 4,960 babies were born during the period of study. The neonatal mortality rate was 21.4 per 1000 live births and infant mortality rate was 53.8 per 1000. The post neonatal death rate was 32.5 per 1000 live births. The causes of infant deaths as presumed from reported signs of last illness were gastroenteritis, respiratory problems, preterm birth complications and congenital abnormalities.

There is a decline in infant mortality rate compared with previous estimated rates. But the high levels of neonatal death rates calls for improved antenatal and obstetric health services. The high post neonatal death rate indicates the potential for a further reduction.