BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT SHEET TEMPORARY Patterns of mortality ...

2 Pattern8of Mortality in Childhood
are of major interest, planning for healthy
and intelligent infants and elimination
of biological wastage have especially high
priority. Thus the principal collaborators
of the first study on adult mortality recommended
that a similar investigation of the
problems in childhood be undertaken, using
as a foundation the experience gained in the
first program and implementing the recommendations
with respect to study of multipie
causes and experimentation with modern
computer techniques. In this way, much
more ambitious objectives were set for the
new continental research program.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the Investigation
was to carry out in selected communities
of the Americas research projects designed
to establish death rates for infancy and
childhood that would be as accurate and
comparable as possible, taking into account
biological as well as nutritional, sociological,
and environmental factors. In order to
analyze both underlying and associated
causes of death and to study interrelationships
of diseases and other conditions, complete
data were to be obtained on deaths
in children under 5 years of age in accordance
with standard definitions and procedures.
To relate mortality to biological
and other factors, considerable information
was required regarding the home, the environment,
the parents, practice of breast
feeding, and provision of health care.
As a basis for evaluating the many factors
involved, a specific objective was to
study the reproductive history of mothers,
ascertaining the relationships of variables
such as age of mother, birth order of deceased
infant, and previous reproductive
wastage. Another was to study and compare
biological and social differences in
those who die in early life and those who
live, through probability sampling of households
and of living children under 5 years
of age.
Because of the known variations in usage
of medical terminology and the difficulties
that have been encountered in obtaining
comparable classifications of causes, one of
the objectives was to make an intensive
study of assignment and classification problems
in order to develop iml)roved procedures
for incorporation into the 1975 Revision
of the InternationalClassificationof
Diseases of the World Health Organization.
This study involved assignments of associated
as well as underlying causes.
In order to better understand and plan
for tile solution of problems in childhood in
the Americas , one of the goals was to study
mortality in rural as well as urban areas.
In keeping with the new emphasis placed
by health authorities on strengthening modical
research, one of the aims was to stimulate
the interest of schools of medicine and
public health and involve them in the
studies.
By setting this series of objectives
the Investigation sought to gain fuller
knowledge of health problems of the child
population and thereby develop solid bases
for new approaches and integrated action.
The findings reported at this time are from
the study of deaths under 5 years of age.
Chapters II and III which follow describe
the steps taken to include all deaths
that occurred and to obtain clinical and
other diagnostic information in order to
reach the goal of "data as complete and
comparable as possible." An overall view