DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES: THE CASE OF FETAL MORTALITY

Abstract

The objective of the article is to identify the trend of the historical series of fetal mortality in the North Fluminense Region from the microregions of Campos dos Goytacazes and Macaé, between 2000 and 2019. This is a descriptive study of fetal deaths that occurred in the selected regions and microregions, broken down by duration of pregnancy, birth weight, and perinatal, early neonatal, and fetal mortality rates. The database used was from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS, in Portuguese) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10). Historical series were constructed in the period by place of occurrence and residence and analyzed with the method of regression statistics to assess trends. Despite the slight reduction in perinatal and early neonatal mortality rates in the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, the fetal mortality rate remains high and stagnant, while in the municipality of Macaé, there was a trend towards an increase in the fetal mortality rate over the long term. The findings of the study show the need to implement new measures to improve the quality of prenatal care and restructuring the primary care in the North Region.