1887

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The State of Qatar has achieved maternal, neonatal and perinatal survival rates which are comparable to many high income countries, both from the West and East. Our study aims to analyze sociodemographic, economic and cultural determinants of Qatar's neonatal mortality rate (NMR) during 2011. Methodology: PEARL study (Perinatal Neonatal Outcomes Research Study in the Arabian Gulf), a joint collaborative research project between Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar, and University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, is Qatar's prospective national perinatal epidemiological study funded by Qatar National Research Fund. The study is quantifying maternal, neonatal and perinatal mortality, morbidities and their correlates by establishing a national neonatal perinatal registry for Qatar called Q-Peri-Reg. Data on live births and neonatal mortality was collected from all public and private maternity facilities in Qatar during 2011. Data on sociodemographic, economic and cultural determinants was ascertained by direct interviews from the mothers using predesigned performas. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was done using Epi Info and SPSS-20. Results: Qatar's NMR during 2011 was 4.9. Babies born to mothers with no or less than secondary level of education were twice at risk of death as compared to mothers with secondary or more level of education (RR 2.08, 95% CI 1.23-3.53, p= 0.009). The rate of maternal literacy was 90%. Nationality, gender, consanguinity, maternal occupation, family income and status, type and ownership of housing did not have any statistically significant correlation with the risk of neonatal mortality (Table1). Conclusion: High level of maternal literacy in Qatar appears to have contributed significantly to its improved neonatal survival rates. The outcome is independent of nationality, gender, social, economic and living status which supports the notion of an equitable health system in Qatar.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.BMP36
2012-10-01
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.BMP36
Loading
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error