<b>Maternal age and characteristics of infants who died at the neonatal period, 2000 to 2009</b> - doi: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v11i5.17040

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the relation between maternal age and characteristics of infants who died at the neonatal period in Londrina – PR. Retrospective ecological study using data from the Birth Certificate, Death Certificate and Infant Death Investigation Form from the Municipal Committee for Maternal Infant Mortality Prevention, from 2000 to 2009. Univariate and bivariate analysis applying Qui-square and Fisher’s exact tests were performed considering p<0.05. 60.2% were young adults, and 22.0% of those were teenagers. Maternal age was statistically significant to type of delivery (p<0.01) and not significant to gestational age, birth weight, Apgar at the first and fifth minute. 58.2% of infants were born within less than 36 weeks, 50.0% weighted less than 1500 grams and 57.7% suffered from asphyxiation in the first minute. More than 70.0% of infants died at the neonatal period. Results did not present statistically significant relation between maternal age extreme groups but to the limited biological conditions of infants which are possibly related to pregnancy and delivery.