There are several indicators of the general state of health of a country, a region and a community. Health indicators are used to know the health status of a country, region and community. Some indicators are widely accepted while others are not so widely accepted by health authorities. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is one such indicator of the health status of the country, region and community and is widely accepted as a good indicator of health status, both by governments and by international health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?
The Infant Mortality Rate is the number of deaths of children (under one year of age) under one year of age per 1,000 live births. For example, in a town/city 2,510 babies were born in 2010. Of 2,510 babies born, 10 were stillborn. In 2010, in the aforementioned town/city, 20 babies under one year of age died. To find the IMR we need to calculate the number of live births: 2,510 (total births) minus 10 (stillbirths) = 2,500. The number of live births in a year (in this example, 2010) is divided by the number of babies who died for any cause, from congenital defects to infections, under one year of age, which is 20 in this example.
To calculate the IMR, the number of infant deaths (from any cause) under one year of age is divided by the total number of live births in one year, which is multiplied by 1,000 and in this case is 20/2,500×1 .000= 8.
Why is the infant mortality rate accepted as an important indicator of health?
It is widely accepted as one of the most sensitive indicators of the health status of a country/region for several reasons. The IMR always reflects the general health scenario of a region/country. The rate is low in developed countries and high to very high in developing underdeveloped countries. If the health infrastructure (preventive and curative infrastructures) of a region of a country is very good, the IMR is always good.
What factors can modify the IMR?
There are several factors that can influence the IMR in the short or long term. Short-term factors that influence IMR include natural calamities/disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wars (which can have a long-term effect, depending on the duration of the war), civil unrest (civil war), etc.
The IMR can be different in different regions of the same country, for example, in the United States it is lowest in Minnesota at 4.78 and highest in the District of Columbia at 14.1.
Some countries with the best IMRs in the world:
- Iceland: 2.9
- Singapore: 3.0
- Japan: 3.2
Some countries with the worst IMRs in the world:
- Sierra Leone: 160.3
- Afghanistan: 157
- Liberia: 132.5
The Infant Mortality Rate for the entire world today is 49.4
The IMR list above is from the United Nations World Population Prospects.