Infant mortality rate among urban and rural population in Abu-Haraz administrative area, shikan locality, North Kordofan State, Sudan

Abstract EN

A stratified random sample was taken using probability proportion method.

Accordingly 296 households were allotted to urban areas and 450 households to rural villages.

Ten clusters in the urban areas and 15 others in the rural areas were chosen In each cluster 30 houses were selected randomly.The data were analyzed statistically using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).

The overall infant mortality rate was 120.6 per 1000 live births, 25.4 per 1000 live births for town sector and 95.2 per 1000 live births for rural sector.

Infant mortality rate was higher in the rural sector than the town sector, and the post neonatal mortality rate was greater than the neonatal mortality rate.

Pneumonia and malaria were the major causes of the infant mortality among the study population.In conclusion, the infant mortality rate was higher in the rural sector compared with town sector, and the causes of infant mortality in the area were variable.

Pneumonia and malaria were the main causes and the infant mortality , mainly occurred in the post neonatal period.

The study recommended reduction of infant mortalities by application of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) programs, improvement of antenatal care and family planning services, identifying modifiable risk factors, development of road map towards achieving United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2007 to reduce the infant mortality rate, and conducting further studies.

KEYWORDS: Infant Mortality Rate(IMR),Urban, Rural, Abu –Haraz Administrative area