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OBJECTIVE:To analyze the risk factors associated with neonatal deaths among children with low birth weight. METHODS:A cohort study was carried out on live births weighing between 500 g and 2,499 g from single pregnancies without anencephaly in Recife RESULTS:After adjusting the variables through multivariate logistic regression, the factors from the distal level that remained signifi cantly associated with neonatal death were: cohabitation by the parents, number of live births and type of maternity hospital. At the intermediate level, the factors were: number of prenatal consultations, complexity of the maternity hospital and type of delivery. At the proximal level, the factors were: sex, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score and presence of congenital malformation. CONCLUSIONS:The main factors associated with neonatal mortality among low weight live births are related to prenatal and postnatal care. Such factors are reducible through health sector actions.

OBJECTIVE:The main objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with periodontitis in pregnant women.METHODS:This study was conducted in two stages. In Stage 1, a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of periodontitis among 810 women treated at the maternity ward of a university hospital. In Stage 2, the factors associated with periodontitis were investigated in two groups of pregnant women: 90 with periodontitis and 720 without. A hierarchized approach to the evaluation of the risk factors was used in the analysis, and the independent variables related to periodontitis were grouped into two levels: 1) socio-demographic variables; 2a) variables related to nutritional status, smoking, and number of pregnancies; and 2b) variables related to oral hygiene. Periodontitis was defined as a probing depth ≥4 mm and an attachment loss ≥3 mm at the same site in four or more teeth. A logistic regression analysis was also performed.RESULTS:The prevalence of periodontitis in this sample was 11%. The variables that remained in the final multivariate model with the hierarchized approach were schooling, family income, smoking, body mass index, and bacterial plaque.CONCLUSION:The factors identified underscore the social nature of the disease, as periodontitis was associated with socioeconomic, demographic status, and poor oral hygiene.

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the association between breast feeding and mental and motor development at age 12 months, controlling for comprehensive measures of the child's socio-economic, maternal and environmental background, and nutritional status. A cohort of 205 infants born during May-August 2001 in a poor area in the interior of the State of Pernambuco was enrolled, of whom 191 were tested at age 12 months with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II, and in whom breast-feeding status was measured at days 1, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 270 and 360. After adjusting for potential confounders, full breast feeding (i.e. exclusive or predominant) at 1 month was associated with a small but significant benefit in mental development (+3.0 points, P = 0.02) compared with partial or no breast feeding. No additional advantage in mental development was found with longer durations of full breast feeding. Full breast feeding at 1 month was associated with improved behaviour for two of 10 ratings tested: initiative with tasks (P = 0.003) and attention (P = 0.02). No association between breast feeding and motor development was found.

Several factors that were associated with neonatal mortality in this study may be due to inadequate care during the prenatal period and childbirth, and inadequate newborn care, all of which can be modified.