Regional disparities in infant mortality in Colombia

Authors

  • Martha C. Jaramillo-Mejía Departamento de Gestión Organizacional, Universidad Icesi. Cali, Colombia. Médico, máster en Investigación y avances en Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública.
  • Dov Chernichovsky Department of Health Systems Administration. Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Beer-Sheva, Israel. economista, PhD en Economía.
  • José J. Jiménez-Moleón Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada. Granada, España. Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP). Granada, España. médico, PhD en Medicina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2013.304.232

Keywords:

Infant mortality rate, Health inequalities, Socioeconomic factors, Insurance coverage, Colombia

Abstract

Objectives. To study the variations in infant mortality rate (IMR) across Colombia’s 33 administrative departments over the period 2003-2009, examine persistency of variations across departments over time, and relate those variations to the impact of socio-economic conditions and availability of care on IMR. Materials and methods. Using vital statistics and related socio-economic data we establish three types of analysis according to: (a) the variation of the departmental IMR (2003- 2009), (b) the association between the departmental IMR and its key determinants over time, and (c) the lines of causality and relative impact of different factors, by using structural equations. Results. The 4.7 fold ratio between the highest and lowest departmental IMR (2009) may be underestimated considering underreporting, especially in low-income departments. There is a negative association between the departmental IMR with time and a set of highly correlated variables, such as the mother education, income per capita, health insurance level and access to services. Conclusions. The effect of better insurance, availability of private beds, and having doctors attending mothers, eclipse the impact of better socioeconomic conditions. The range of services does not appear to be influenced by a rational policy; resources are not allocated according to the need, but with the general development. Private beds are made available where there is better health insurance.

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Published

2014-03-11

Issue

Section

Research Articles

How to Cite

1.
Jaramillo-Mejía MC, Chernichovsky D, Jiménez-Moleón JJ. Regional disparities in infant mortality in Colombia. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica [Internet]. 2014 Mar. 11 [cited 2024 Oct. 15];30(4). Available from: https://rpmesp.ins.gob.pe/index.php/rpmesp/article/view/232