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Abstract:
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For the last five years, Shelby County has recorded more than 12 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, as compared to eight per 1,000 live births in the state of Tennessee during the same period, which suggest that there is a systematic problem in Shelby County. Several models have been developed to understand the determinants of infant mortality. These models are classified as social models and medical models. This study integrates a social model and medical model of infant mortality to ascertain the most important predictors of infant mortality and to determine how these predictors vary spatially. A multilevel modeling approach was adopted using Glimmix (SAS Macro). My model estimates that there is an effect of exposure to domestic violence (in the neighborhood) on the proximate determinant of low gestational period, which then leads to high infant mortality in Shelby County, TN.
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