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Causes of Neonatal Deaths among Tribal Women in Gujarat, India

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Abstract

Mortality among neonates has long been largely neglected by research in all developing nations of world including India. This study aims to identify the primary and secondary causes of neonatal deaths among the tribes of Gujarat by retrospectively analyzing 106 neonatal deaths that occurred during the year 2008 and 2009. The socio-economic, biological and traditional newborn care practices impacting newborn survival were also studied. Case studies including in-depth interviews of 33 women who had experienced neonatal deaths in period of 2008 and 2009 have also been conducted. The results show that the main causes of neonatal deaths in the study area were birth asphyxia, prematurity, aspiration, infection and congenital anomalies, irrespective of place of delivery. Absence of trained and skilled personnel for newborn resuscitation was the main cause of perinatal birth asphyxia related deaths. Around 36% mothers had a history of infant deaths. Low birth weight is one of the important causes of neonatal deaths among mothers who had a history of child loss. Cyclicality of neonatal deaths continued among clustered families with social factors initiating the cycle. Qualified trained birth attendants practicing essential newborn care are necessary during home deliveries.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Dr. Lata Desai and Dr. Pankaj Shah, Managing Trustees of SEWA Rural, Jhagadia, Gujarat for their valuable help and guidance. We are also grateful to Dr. Dhiren Modi and Dr. Shobha Shah for guidance in planning the study and the SEWA Rural team who extended the infrastructural facilities very generously. We are especially grateful to Prof. S. Parasuraman, Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai and Prof. C.A.K. Yesudian, Dean, School of Health Systems Studies, TISS, Mumbai for constant support and encouragement. Authors are also grateful to the anonymous referees for their constructive comments on the earlier version of this paper. Authors are also thankful to Dr. Manoj Alagarajan, IIPS, Mumbai and Dr. Lakhan Singh, TISS, Mumbai for their comments on the paper.

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  1. School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, V N Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai, 400 088, India

    Baiju Dinesh Shah & Laxmi Kant Dwivedi

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  1. Baiju Dinesh Shah
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Correspondence to Baiju Dinesh Shah.

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Fig. 6
figure 6

Diagnostic algorithm for identification of primary causes of neonatal deaths

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Shah, B.D., Dwivedi, L.K. Causes of Neonatal Deaths among Tribal Women in Gujarat, India. Popul Res Policy Rev 30, 517–536 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-010-9199-5

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