INFLUENCE OF SOCIOECONOMIC AND HEALTH-CARE DEVELOPMENT ON INFANT AND PERINATAL-MORTALITY IN SPAIN 1975-86

Study objective-This study aimed to analyse the influence of social, e conomic, and health development on infant and perinatal mortality in S pain between 1975 and 1986, and to identify possible changes in these relationships over time. Design-Study of the association between morta lity and a range of variables. Setting-50 Spanish provinces. Measureme nts and main results-Mean infant and perinatal mortality were estimate d for two periods-1975-8 and 1983-6. Social, economic, and health care indicators were collected as independent variables for these two peri ods. The rates of variation between periods were estimated for each va riable. Multiple linear regression models were used to define the asso ciation between infant and perinatal mortality and their respective ra te of variation with the former indicators. Mean familial income was t he main predictive factor for infant and perinatal mortality in the fi rst period but in the second period health care indicators were more r elevant. Conclusions-The reduction in Spanish infant and perinatal mor tality over the period can be attributed mainly to the improvement in prenatal and neonatal health care in Spain in recent years, while econ omic factors seem less important.