Background and Objective: Most Iranian provinces, including Golestan Province, have achieved the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for childhood mortality. However, evidence suggests that mortality rates in some population groups within these regions remain high and concerning. This study aimed to determine the childhood mortality rate in the city of Aqqala in Golestan Province, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 416 cases (243 males, 172 females, 1 ambiguous genitalia) of mortalities among children aged 0-18 years residing in rural and urban areas of the city of Aqqala from 2017 to 2022. All registered mortalities were extracted from the electronic health record system at Golestan University of Medical Sciences. Incomplete records or those with imprecisely documented causes of mortality were excluded from the study. The causes of childhood mortality were categorized based on the International Classification of Diseases (10^th Revision, 2016). Age divisions were regarded as 0-28 days, 1-12 months, 1-2 years, 2-6 years, 6-12 years, and 12-18 years for neonates, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents, respectively.
Results: The overall mortality rate was determined to be 2.15 deaths per 1000 live births, with rates of 23.1 per 1000 live births for male children and 10.3 per 1000 live births for female children. This rate decreased from 22.7 deaths per 1000 live births in 2017 to 12.3 deaths in 2022. The neonatal mortality rate was determined to be 32.8 per 1000 live births, and the infant mortality rate was 5.5 deaths per 1000 live births. The primary causes of mortality, in order of frequency, included certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (28.2%), congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities (17.2%), and transport-related accidents (12%).
Conclusion: Despite a declining trend in the overall mortality rate of children under 18 years in the city of Aqqala in Golestan Province, the neonatal mortality rate in this region is alarmingly higher than the Iranian average, necessitating attention and appropriate measures for further evaluation and intervention.