ABSTRACT

It is not possible to single out any factor in infant deaths: many factors and events have a direct or indirect effect. The aim of our study was to determine infant deaths and the influencing factors in the town of Gölbaşı, Ankara.

The study was performed in Gölbaşı and the surrounding villages as a nested case-control study. A questionnaire form was used for data collection. The study was conducted by visiting each house and conducting face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression analy-sis was carried out on the factors thought to be influencing infant deaths.

The place of the birth and the person preconditioned for the de-livery (OR 1.495, 95% CI 1.561-161.466), the attendance of the infant at healthcare checks (OR 4.481, 95% CI 1.359-14.772), whether the infant was nursed (OR 42.513, 95% CI 11.833-152.745), the number of preg-nancies of the mother (OR 1.781, 95% CI 1.561-161.466), and low birth weight (OR 4.715, 95% CI 1.072-20.741) were found to affect infant de-aths. The education level of the mother, the age when the mother beca-me pregnant, and the gender of the infant had no significant effect on in-fant deaths.

More than one factor affects infant deaths. Correct analysis of these factors is of importance for preventing infant deaths.