A Study on Risk Factors for Death and the Causes of Death in Infants (12 Months Old or Younger) and Toddlers (1-4 Years Old): Based on Statistics Korea’s Birth-and-Death Data on Infants Under the Age of 5, 2012~2015

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze both the risk factors for death and the causes of death in infants and toddlers, categorized by detailed age (less than 12 months old, 1-4 years old), using birth cohort tracking observation data from the National Statistical Office. The analysis revealed that out of 1,274,027 infants and toddlers, 3,929 deaths occurred under the age of 5 (2889 deaths at age 0 and 1,040 deaths at ages 1-4), with the rate of death at age 0 accounting for 79.62% of the total. Findings from the COX proportional risk survival analysis suggest that gender, birth weight, gestational week, maternal total birth rate, parental age, and parental education level were related to deaths under the age of 5. A detailed age-group analysis indicated significant associations between death at age 0 and birth weight, gestational weeks, maternal age, and parental education level, while the effect of parental age and education level decreased in the age range of 1-4. Deaths at age 0 were largely attributed to pre-birth and post-natal diseases (1,165 deaths; 40.33%) and congenital abnormalities (707 deaths; 24.47%), while deaths at ages 1-4 were predominantly due to other diseases (208 deaths neoplasms; 20.00%), nervous system diseases (15 deaths; 1.44%), and external causes like transportation accidents (108 deaths; 10.38%), falls (42 deaths; 4.04%), and harms (51 deaths; 4.90%). Based on this study, it is suggested that maternal and child health policies should be developed to address differences in risk factors among infants and toddlers across different ages, aiming to prevent death.