ANÁLISE ESPAÇO-TEMPORAL DA MORTALIDADE NEONATAL NA REGIÃO SUL DO BRASIL

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze temporal and spatial evolution of the neonatal mortality indicator in the South Region of Brazil and indicate some determinant variables in relation to the live birth, death itself and health care. The study was done with data collected in official secondary sources, at the level of the municipalities of the South Region and for years 1994-1995 and 2013-2014. The indicators were estimated using the empirical Bayesian method and analyzed in the Geographic Information System, using descriptive spatial statistics and exploratory techniques of spatial analysis. The results showed a reduction in the rate of neonatal infant mortality (NIM) in most of the southern municipalities, but high rates persist in poorer regions. There was also a reduction in the rates associated with infectious and parasitic diseases and an increase of prematurity and low birth weight. Prenatal health care was expanded throughout the region and had positive impact on NIM reduction. The changes in the infant s birth and dying forms indicate new and worrying challenges for the South Region of Brazil, especially regarding the surveillance and control policies to be developed in the first half of the century.