Infant mortality risk in shantytown and non-shanty town residents in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 1980

Abstract

The calculation of infant mortality relative risk (RR) and attributable risk percent (ARP), related to shantytown residents (SR) in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 1980 is non-shantytown, residents (NSR). The infant mortality attributable risk due to SR with 95% probability, ranged from 23.2 to 33.0, if other risk factors were not considered. RR ranged from 2.4 to 3.6. For the main five causes of death RR was always higher for SR, except for congenital anomalies, where the relative risk was higher for NSR. RR was: 1.8 times higher for certain conditions originated in pregnancy and around birth (COPAB), 5.9 for intestinal infections diseases (HD), 6.1 for pneumonia and influenza (PI) and 8.0 for septicemia. As for ARP, it was found that 28% of infant mortality occurred in SR, which corresponded to 18.6% of the total population. Considering the main causes of death in SR, ARP was 12.8%, 47.7%, 48.7% and 56.7% respectively for COPAB, IID, PI and speticemia. Even if we take into account that conditions for people living in slums are determined by social and economical factors, it was recommended an evaluation of health care services seeing that such causes of deaths could be prevented by adequate management health care programs, directed mainly to people living under the worst conditions.