Analysis of Infant Mortality Rates and Associated Factors in Adamawa State

Infant mortality reflects the cumulative effects of maternal health, neonatal care quality, and socioeconomic conditions, and its analysis at state level in North East Nigeria provides important evidence for targeted child survival programming. This study analysed infant mortality rates and associated risk factors using data from 480 mothers of children born in the preceding five years in Yola North, Girei, and Song Local Government Areas, Adamawa State. A structured interview questionnaire collected data on infant death history, gestational age at birth, birth order, maternal age, antenatal visit attendance, and place of delivery. Descriptive statistics, life table analysis, and binary logistic regression were applied. The estimated infant mortality rate for the survey population was 72 deaths per 1,000 live births, above the national average. Home delivery was associated with 3.1 times higher infant death odds than facility delivery. Only 38.5 percent of mothers had attended the minimum four recommended antenatal visits. Infants born to mothers below age 18 showed significantly higher mortality rates. The study identifies low facility delivery uptake and inadequate antenatal coverage as the primary modifiable risk factors. Recommendations include extending mobile maternal and newborn health services to hard-to-reach communities, incentivising facility delivery through conditional cash transfers, and deploying skilled birth attendant training in Adamawa State's most underserved LGAs to improve neonatal outcomes.

Keywords: infant mortality, Adamawa State, antenatal care, risk factors, child survival