Birth profile for the city of rio de janeiro: a spatial analysis

This article analyzes the birth profile by neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, using data for 1994 from the Data Base on Live Births. Pattern maps were employed in addition to the Moran I statistical test to detect spatial clustering. Proportions of live newborns with an Apgar score of 8-10, cesareans, mothers with greater than a secondary school education, and teenage mothers displayed visually identifiable spatial patterns and significant spatial self-correlation. Low birth weight displayed a random pattern, indicating that on this scale of analysis, this indicator does not distinguish risk groups, despite its unquestionable predictive value for child morbidity/mortality at the individual level. The Apgar score, despite the high number of non-responses in some neighborhoods, showed a pattern more consistent with the distribution of the neighborhoods and should thus be used more extensively. The methodology expanded the available knowledge on the birth profile in the city, showing potential for orienting measures devoted to specific geographic areas.