Determinants of Infant Mortality in Samdrup Jongkhar District, Bhutan

Abstract

Samdrup Jongkhar district has reported an increasing trend in infant mortality rates over the recent years. This study aimed to identify its determinants. A population based case-control study was conducted in May 2018. Case group comprised of 79 infants who died between 1st January 2015-30th April 2018 while 158 living children born during the same period and residing closest to the home where infant mortality occurred were recruited as controls. Premature new-borns and those with low birth weight were 5.9 times and 4.1 times more likely to die respectively. New-borns whose mother received better ante-natal and post-natal care were more likely to survive. Over 50% of the deaths occurred at home and around two-thirds of deaths occurred during the post-natal period. Implementing a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach including local leaders, village health workers and religious leaders would be useful in reassuring parents to seek early medical care during childhood illness.

Determinants of Infant Mortality in Bhutan: Evidence from the 2012 National Health Survey Data

“…A case-control study found that children who were born premature and had low birth weight had higher odds of dying. In contrast, children of mothers who attended antenatal and postnatal care were less likely to die before reaching their first birthday (Pokhrel et al, 2019). More than 50% of the deaths were found to occur at home.…”

“…More than 50% of the deaths were found to occur at home. This study by Pokhrel et al (2019) was conducted in one district that prohibits generalizability and did not examine the influence of some important factors such as solid fuel use, water and sanitation, education of husband and household head, domestic violence, and rural residence. Another study showed that the mother's age, parity, region of residence, household size, and access to electricity and sanitation were factors predicting under-five-year-old mortality in Bhutan (Dendup et al, 2018).…”

Outcomes at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Eastern Regional Referral Hospital, Monggar Bhutan: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Over half (56%) of these under-five deaths are neonatal death as reported by the National Health Survey of Bhutan 2012 8 . Similarly, a study conducted to identify the determinants of infant mortality in Samdrup Jongkhar District of Bhutan reported that around one-third of the infant deaths were contributed by neonatal deaths 9 .…”