OBJECTIVE: To analyze some characteristics of infant mortality of residents in the area of the 15th Health Region of Paraná, from 2005 to 2008. METHODS: A descriptive exploratory study covering 397 deaths investigated by the Committee for the Prevention of Infant Mortality, using data from the research data sheets. RESULTS: In 82.3% of families, monthly income was up to three times the minimum wage; 65.1% of the mothers received prenatal care through the public network; 83.4% of births were financed by the National Health System; and, 59 2% of women began prenatal care in the first trimester. Of the mothers, 68.5% had complications during pregnancy: 18.2% had preterm labor; 18.2% had a urinary tract infection, and 16.5% had arterial hypertension. CONCLUSION: Low income, the use of public services for prenatal care and childbirth shows that public institutions, public health workers and nurses are improving the care of pregnant women with attributes of gestational risk, and contribute to the continued reduction of infant mortality.
Infant mortality; Program evaluation; Professional staff committees; Epidemiologic surveillance; Public health nursing
