Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality, The Most Commonly Used Health Status Indicators

Infant and Maternal Mortality
Infant mortality refers to the death of an infant before their first birthday. On the other hand, maternal mortality refers to the death from pregnancy or childbirth complications. These two are commonly used as health status indicators for various reasons. For instance, infant mortality is regarded as a crucial national indicator of health in most countries because of its sensitivity to general structural factors such as socio-economic development and the basic living conditions of people (Reidpath and Allotey, 2003). As a result of the infant mortality rate, structural factors that influence the entire population concerning health directly impact the mortality rates of infants. Therefore, the health of infants acts as a special indicator of the health of the general population. Low mortality rates of infants imply a good health system overall. On the other hand, maternal mortality is also a good indicator of health status. It reflects the socio-economic development and the status of the general health system since it inco...