Contributing death factors in very low-birth-weight infants by path method analysis

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Pediatric Mortality Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Neonatal deaths constitute 40% of global under-five mortality.
• Reducing neonatal mortality is crucial for achieving UN Millennium Development Goal 4.
• High-mortality countries are the focus for reducing infant deaths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine factors contributing to death in very low-birth-weight infants.
• To analyze these factors using path method analysis.
• To identify significant predictors of infant mortality.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of medical records for 2,135 infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (2008-2010).
• Application of path method analysis using SPSS 18 statistical software.
• Investigation of relationships between variables like birth weight, gestational age, blood pressure, and hospitalization duration with infant mortality.

Main Results:

• Gestational age, birth weight, and hospitalization duration negatively impact infant mortality.
• Gestational blood pressure has a direct positive effect on infant mortality.
• These factors collectively explain 66.5% of infant mortality variance.

Conclusions:

• Infant hospitalization duration is significantly associated with mortality (coefficient -0.7, P < 0.001).
• Gestational blood pressure is the primary maternal factor linked to infant mortality.
• Understanding these factors can inform interventions to reduce neonatal deaths.