Title: Effect of the Gulf war on infant and child mortality in Iraq.

POPLINE Document Number: 075957

Author(s):

Ascherio A
Chase R
Cote T
Dehaes G
Hoskins E
Laaouej J
Passey M
Qaderi S
Shuqaidef S
Smith MC

Source citation:

NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, 1992 Sep 24;327(13):931-6.

Abstract:

Increased malnutrition and morbidity among Iraqi children after the onset of the Persian Gulf War have been reported by several fact-finding missions. The magnitude of the effect of the war and the economic embargo on child mortality remains nevertheless uncertain. The authors conducted a survey of 271 clusters of 25-30 households each, chosen as a representative sample of the Iraqi population. The households were selected and the interviews conducted by an international team of public health professionals independent of Iraqi authorities. In each household, all women ages 15-49 years of age were interviewed, and the dates of birth and death of all children born on or after January 1, 1985, were recorded. The study population included 16,076 children, 768 of whom died during the period surveyed (January 1, 1985-August 31, 1991). The age-adjusted relative mortality for the period following the start of the war, as compared with the period prior to the war, was 3.2 (95% confidence interval, 2.8-3.7). No material change in the relative risk was observed after adjustment for region of residence, maternal education, and maternal age. The increase in mortality after the onset of the war was higher among children 1 to less than 12 months old (relative risk, 4.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.3-5.2) and among those 12 to less than 60 months old (relative risk, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.6-5.4) than among those less than 1 month old (relative risk, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-2.4). The association between the war and mortality was stronger in northern Iraq (relative risk 5.3) and southern Iraq (relative risk 3.4) than in the central areas (relative risk 1.9) or in Baghdad (relative risk 1.7). These results demonstrate strong evidence that the Gulf war and trade sanctions caused a 3-fold increase in mortality among Iraqi children under age 5. The authors estimate that an excess of more than 46,900 children died between January-August 1991. (author's)

Keywords:

Iraq
Infant Mortality
Child Mortality
War
Excess Mortality
Surveys
Political Factors
Incidence
Socioeconomic Factors
Geographic Factors
Data Collection
Estimation Technics
Demographic Factors
Educational Status
Malnutrition
Economic Factors
Statistics
Developing Countries
Middle East
Mortality
Population Dynamics
Population
Sampling Studies
Studies
Research Methodology
Measurement
Socioeconomic Status
Nutrition Disorders
Diseases