Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 17;50(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-023-01571-z.

Infant mortality in Italy: large geographic and ethnic inequalities

Silvia Simeoni  1 , Luisa Frova  2 , Mario De Curtis  3
Affiliations

Infant mortality in Italy: large geographic and ethnic inequalities

Silvia Simeoni et al. Ital J Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Neonatal and infant mortality rates are among the most significant indicators for assessing a country's healthcare and social development. This study examined the trends in neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality in Italy from 2016 to 2020 and analysed differences between children of Italian and foreign parents based on areas of residence, as well as the leading causes of death. Special attention was given to the analysis of mortality in 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its comparison with previous years.

Methods: Data from 2016 to 2020 were collected by the Italian National Institute of Statistics and extracted from two national databases, the Causes of Death register and Live births registered in the population register. Neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality rates were calculated using conventional definitions. The main analyses were conducted by comparing Italian citizens to foreigners and contrasting residents of the North with those of the South. Group comparisons were made using mortality rate ratios. The main causes of death were examined, and Poisson log-linear regression models were employed to investigate the relationships between mortality rate ratios for each cause of death and citizenship, place of residence and calendar year.

Results: In Italy, in 2020, the neonatal mortality rate was 1.76 deaths per thousand live births and it was 55% higher in foreign children than in Italian children. Foreign children had a higher mortality rate than Italians for almost all significant causes of death. Children born in the South of Italy, both Italian and foreign, had an infant mortality rate about 70% higher than residents in the North. Regions with higher infant mortality were Calabria, Sicily, Campania, and Apulia. In the South, mortality from neonatal respiratory distress and prematurity was higher. In the first months of 2020, between March and June, the first Covid-19 wave, Italy experienced an increase in neonatal and infant mortality compared to the same period in 2016-2019, not directly related to SARS-CoV-19 infection. The primary cause was neonatal respiratory distress.

Conclusions: The neonatal and infant mortality rates indicate the persistence of profound inequalities in Italy between the North and the South and between Italian and foreign children.

Keywords: Covid-19; Ethnic inequalities; Geographical inequalities; Infant mortality; Neonatal mortality; Poisson regression model; Post-neonatal mortality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Neonatal mortality rates by citizenship, per thousand live births residing in Italy
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Post-neonatal mortality rates by citizenship, per thousand live births residing in Italy
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Infant mortality rates by citizenship, per thousand live births residing in Italy
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Infant mortality rate by region of residence, per thousand live births
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Neonatal (x-axis) and post-neonatal (y-axis) mortality rate ratio (MRR) for regions and geographical areas. *MRRs are calculated by comparing region and area rates to the national ones
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Mortality rate ratios (MRRs, CI95%) for the leading causes of death
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Simeoni S, Frova L, Orsi C. La mortalità dei bambini ieri e oggi in Italia. Anni 1887–2011. https://www.istat.it/it/files/2014/01/Mortalita_-sotto_i_5_anni-.pdf.
    1. Ridurre la mortalità. Infantile per Il raggiungimento dell’Obiettivo Di Sviluppo Del Millennio n. 4 * ministero della Salute Dipartimento Della Sanita’ pubblica e dell’innovazione. https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pubblicazioni_1943_allegato.pdf.
    1. Simeoni S, Pappagallo M. La mortalità in Italia sotto i 5 anni: aggiornamento dei dati per causa, territorio e cittadinanza. ISTAT 18 Ottobre 2018. https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/222483.
    1. Yovo E. Challenges on the road to achieving the SDG 3.2 targets in resource-limited settings. Lancet. 2022;10:e157–158. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00597-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Neri S. The Italian national health service after the economic crisis: from decentralization to differentiated federalism. E-cadernos CES. 2019;31:147–169.

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources