[Evolution of socioeconomic inequalities in infant and child mortality in Brazil, 1993-20]

In Brazil, infant and child mortality reveal a downward trend. Few studies have investigated the temporal trends in the inequalities of these deaths, at individual level, according to socio-economic status. The scope of this article was to investigate the temporal trends of the magnitude of inequalities in infant and child mortality, between groups defined by maternal education and household income per capita in the 1993-2008 period in Brazil. Microdata from the National Household Sample Survey were used. The inequality measure was the concentration index (CI). It was calculated for infant and child deaths, according to maternal education and household income per capita. During the 2003-2008 period, there was a reduction in inequalities in infant and child mortality, at individual level, and according to maternal education and household income per capita. In 2008, the concentration of child deaths among children whose mothers had less education was higher than the concentration of infant deaths. The CI according to income had greater variability, but also demonstrated a lower concentration of deaths at the end of the period. The measurement of inequalities in health is important for monitoring the population health situation.