Infant death rates in Queensland, 1962 to 1972

Published statistical material has been used to analyse the infant death rate in Queensland. The neonatal death rates, which tend to reflect the level of obstetric care, were approximately twice as high in the Peninsula Division as in Brisbane, and the late infant mortality rate was almost eight times as high in the Peninsula Division as in Brisbane. In the Peninsula there has been no fall in infant death rate over the 11 years studied. One small area had an infant mortality rate of 100 deaths per 1,000 live births. The areas with the highest infant death rates were those with a significant Aboriginal population. The data show that proximity to major health facilities does not ensure low infant death rates and in the Brisbane Metropolitan Division there were threefold differences in late infant death rates. It seems likely that infant death rates are influenced by the economic status and education of parents and by the priority they place on infant care. The study has shown that published statistical data can detect areas within Queensland with high infant death rates, and could therfore be used to direct resources to improve the well-being of infants in these areas.