Infant mortality in the rural Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia.

A prospective study of a cohort of infants born in 1987 was carried out until they were one year old. Five villages were selected at random. All the babies born in 1987 in these villages were identified by a group of trained nurses. These nurses collected morbidity and mortality data on these children each time the events occurred using a structured data collection form. Data were analysed using relevant demographic and statistical techniques. A total of 4,963 babies was born during the period of study. The neonatal mortality rate was 21.4 per 1,000 live births and the infant mortality rate was 53.8 per 1,000. The postneonatal death rate was 32.5 per 1,000 live births. The causes of infant deaths as presumed from reported signs of last illness were gastroenteritis, respiratory problems, preterm birth complications and congenital abnormalities. It was concluded that there is a decline in the infant mortality rate compared with previous estimated rates, but the high levels of neonatal death rates call for improved antenatal and obstetric health services. The high postneonatal death rate indicates the potential for a further reduction.