INFANT MORTALITY IN THE RURAL SIDAMA ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA: EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF KEY PREGNANCY AND POSTNATAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Nigatu Regassa Hawassa University, P.O. BOX 679, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia Korespondenční autor: Nigatu Regassa (negyon@yahoo.com) ISSN 1804-7181 (On-line) Full verze: Submitted: 22. 1. 2012 Accepted: 17. 5. 2012 Published online: 28. 6. 2012 Summary Objectives: This study is aimed at examining the contribution of selected pregnancy and postnatal health care services to Infant Mortality (IM) in Southern Ethiopia. Method: Data were collected from 10 rural villages of the Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia, using a structured interview schedule. The 1,094 eligible women respondents were selected using a combination of simple random and multi-stage sampling techniques. The main outcome variable of the study (IM) was measured by reported infant deaths during the twelve months preceding the survey, and was estimated at 9.6% or 96 infant deaths per 1,000 births. Pregnancy and health care variables were used as the main explanatory variables along with other household and individu