The influence of the municipal human development index and maternal education on infant mortality: an investigation in a retrospective cohort study in the extreme south of Brazil.

The HDI is considered a good predictor of infant mortality by some authors and the analyzes of the present study also confirm an association of the medium MHDI and its low MHDIE component with infant mortality. In addition, it was maternal education with less than 8 years of study that that demonstrated a higher risk of death, revealing itself to be a social determinant with a relevant impact on infant mortality. Thus, it is possible to conclude that maternal education is available information, and it is superior to the MHDI to assess the infant mortality outcome.