Spatial variation in infant mortality in Al-Ahrar district for the year 2023 (a study in population geography)

Abstract

      Infant mortality is among the most sensitive demographic indicators of the level of economic and social development and the success of the development process in any society, so studies and research on the subject of infant mortality have been interested in data and figures at the local, regional and international levels, and studies have also been interested in spatial and temporal variation and the detection of spatial relationships to the phenomenon of infant mortality in the Ahrar district through the collection of data from the Wasit health departments and the data of the Ministry of Planning, as well as the adoption of the field study to cover the study data. Where (200) forms were distributed in the urban and rural district of Al-Ahrar.

Infants are at higher risk of dying during their first two years of life, so the study relied on choosing this group among other age groups.  The research confirmed the study of the causes and factors of infant mortality in the district of Al-Ahrar, through which economic, demographic, social, cultural and behavioral factors can be determined . The research aims to study the spatial distribution of infant mortality in the district of Al-Ahrar, specifying the importance of the subject because it is one of the population topics and can determine an important part of the base of the population pyramid. The first section included the geographical distribution of infant deaths in the province and the district of Al-Ahrar, has witnessed a clear variation and fluctuation between the province and urban and countryside  itself, the second section dealt with infant mortality rates in the province and the, and district of Al-Ahrar, the third section included the geographical distribution of diseases causing deaths in the province and, diseases represent one of the most important main causes of infant mortality, including diseases of the blood system, respiratory system and congenital malformations. The third section dealt with the study of factors that have an impact on the increase in infant mortality rate in the district of Al-Ahrar including economic, social and health factors, the impact of the economic factor represented by the standard of living on the high mortality rates was shown. It also turns out that there is a close relationship between mothers, education and infant mortality, and there is also a relationship between the high mortality rate and the lack or absence of health services in the Ahrar district.