BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT SHEET TEMPORARY Patterns of mortality ...

Chapter IV. Mortality in Childhood 69
and 34 per cent, respectively) but the 14.3 per cent of the infant deaths included
decline started somewhat earlier in the in the Investigation had not been registered.
province. Such reductions in natality are An intensive search was made for nondue
to changes in the fertility rates of registered neonatal deaths in Santiago, and
women at different ages and in parity, with it resulted in the discovery of 344 that were
shifts to younger mothers and to lower birth included in tile sample of deaths in the
orders. Such shifts result in lower infant Investigation. The excellent work done to
death rates. Infant mortality per 1,000 live ensure completeness of infant mortality data
births for the country (Chile, National in this project will be the subject of a sepa-
Health Service, 1971) and for the province rate report, which will be published as a
(Chile, National Health Service, Zone V, guide to procedures for improving registra­
1966-1970) declined from 1966 to 1970 as tion of deaths in hospitals.
shown below:
The availability of official information on
distribution of live births by age of mother
Country Province and infants' birth order for Santiago Prov­
1966 97.7 76.4 ince made it possible in this project to
1967 94.3 69.8 analyze neonatal and infant mortality in
1968 83.5 56.5 relation to these two factors. The collec­
1969 78.7 55.0 tion and publication of such basic data on
1970 79.3 54.1 births are essential for evaluation of
The death rates under 5 years of age changes in infant mortality in relation to
obtained in the Investigation in the city of patterns of reproduction, as well as for the
Santiago and the suburban-rural comunas study of mortality by causes.
(Table 24) were lower than for the country Colombia
as a whole. Infant mortality for the city
was similar to that given in the official The death rates found in the three cities
report for the Province of Santiago. How- in the Investigation (Table 25) were lower
ever, the rate for the province would be than those for the country as a whole in
higher if the WHO definition of a live birth 1968. Thus it is probable that mortality
was adhered to, as is shown by the fact that in infancy and early childhood is much
higher in rural areas and contributes
TABLE 24. Death Rates' Under 5 Years by Age
Group in Two Areas of the Investigation in Chile,
and Official Rates for the Province of Santiago and
for Chile.
TABLE 25. Death Rates' Under 5 Years by Age
Group in Three Projects of the Investigation in
Colombia, and Official Rate for Colombia.
Under Under 1-4 Under Under 1-4
Area 5 years I year years Area 5 years I year years
Investigation
Investigation
Santiago ............... . 13.0 54.0 1.8 Cali ................... . 10.1 54.6 5.0
Comunas ................ 14.0 57.0 2.2 Cartagena............... 14.6 47.8 5.8
M edellin ................ 14.4 47.6 5.7
Official data, 1069
Chile ................... 18.0 78.7 3.3 Official data. 1068
Province of Santiago ...... ... 55.0 2.3 Colombia ................ 21.1 75.0 07
, Deaths under i year per 1,000 live births; others per ' Deaths under I year per 1,000 live births; others per
1.000 population. 1,000 population.