Epidemiological profile of mortality in indigenous children under five years of age in Brazil: an integrative literature review

Abstract

The aim is to identify the epidemiological profile of mortality among Brazilian indigenous children under five years of age, through an integrative review. Articles that evaluated the mortality of indigenous Brazilian children under one and/or five years of age, from 2000 to 2020, in Portuguese, English, and/or Spanish, in the LILACS, SciELO, and MEDLINE databases were included. Of the 3,229 publications found, 22 were included in the review. Infant mortality ranged from 15.2/1,000 live births (LB) (1995-1999) for the Kayabí ethnic group to 307.7/1,000 LB (2000) for the Hupdäh ethnic group. Among the studies that evaluated infant mortality by age components, the post-neonatal period stands out, with proportions that varied from 15.2% (1990-1994), for indigenous children from Paraná, to 83.3% (2007- 2008) for the Guarani ethnic group. The main cause of mortality was respiratory diseases, ranging from 17.1% (2010) to 75% (2007-2008) among the Guarani ethnic group. Brazilian indigenous children under one year of age experienced high mortality rates, when compared to non-indigenous children, for all ethnicities and regions of the country. Among the IMT components, a high number of deaths were observed in the post-neonatal period, with respiratory system diseases representing the main causes of death.

Key words:
Child mortality; Indian people; Basic health indicators; Infant mortality