Assessment of factors affecting infant mortality in Sudan: application of generalized additive model

Background: The evaluation of the factors influencing infant mortality entails examining the various factors contributing to the high rate of infant deaths in Sudan. These factors encompass access to healthcare services, nutritional status, sanitation, maternal health, vaccination, and socioeconomic circumstances. This study aims to assess the factors affecting infant mortality in the state of Gezira in Sudan. Methods: The study conducted in Gezira state, Sudan, was a cross-sectional analytical household cluster survey carried out from July 2021 to December 2021. This survey used a questionnaire divided into two parts: the first section collected basic demographic information about each participant to identify the general characteristics of the population. In the second section, detailed demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic information was gathered regarding factors influencing infant mortality in Gezira. The generalized Additive Models was used to identify factors affecting infant mortality. Results: The findings indicate a statistically significant correlation between the child’s sex (AOR = 1.108, P-value = 0.0227), breastfeeding exclusively (AOR = 0.883, P-value = 0.0294), maternal follow-up (AOR = 0.883, P-value = 0.0294), a child suffering from malaria (AOR = 0.883, P-value = 0.0294), a child experiencing malnourishment (AOR = 1.44, P-value < 0.0001), a child suffering from septicemia (AOR = 0.883, P-value = 0.0294), and infant mortality. Conclusion: These results support WHO recommendations and other studies showing that exclusive breastfeeding is a major preventive factor against infant morbidity and mortality from respiratory and gastrointestinal tract illnesses. This emphasizes how crucial it is to provide early childhood primary healthcare, especially in Sudan where infant death rates are high because of common illnesses including blood poisoning, malaria, and other ailments. Thus, the government needs to adopt measures and policies to minimize this mortality and save lives. Good prenatal care and good nursing practice are also key factors in reducing neonatal death in Sudan.