Abstract

BATISTA MOLINER, Ricardo; COUTIN MARIE, Gisele  and  FEAL CANIZARES, Pablo. Condiciones de vida y salud materno-infantil. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2001, vol.27, n.2, pp. 126-134. ISSN 0864-3466.

The detection of health inequalities and their relation with socio-economic factors is a widely discussed subject at present. The social development in Cuba and the achievements of the public health care system has favored the reduction of the great differences that existed in Cuba before 1959 among populations with unequal living conditions. In spite of these results, there are still differences in the performance of some health indicators. Through the analysis of the relation between a living conditions index and some child and maternal health indicators, the existence of differences in health care levels and their living condition index among the municipalities of the country was evaluated. To make comparisons, the infant mortality, low birth weight, fetal mortality and maternal mortality rates for the period 1997-1999 were calculated. It was proved that municipalities with the most unfavorable living conditions showed the worst health care indicators. These differences were significant as gar as infant mortality, low birth weight and fetal mortality rates were concerned. Similarly there was a strong correlation between these last parameters and under one-year old deaths during the studied period

Keywords : MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH; LIVING CONDITIONS; HEALTH STATUS INDICATORS; INFANT MORTALITY.