Abstract:
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of one. The main objective of this
study was To investigate the possible risk factors that contribute early mortality, up to the first
year of life. Parametric shared frailty models have been used with three baseline hazard function
(Weibull, Log-logistic, Exponential) and two frailty distributions (Gamma, Inverse-Gaussian).
942 infants were included from one comprehensive hospital, one primary hospital, one private
clinic and two governmental health centres. The clustering effect was significant and Weibul
gamma shared frailty model was preferred based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and
graphical evidence. The result showed Weight, perinatal asphyxia, congenital malformations,
Age were significant covariates for infant death in Debre Brehan city. The result suggested that
the death of infant’s from different hospital and clinical centre had different pattern, since there
was a frailty (clustering) effect on the infant death among hospital and clinical in Debre Brehan
city.
