IMR Full Form

IMR's full form is Infant Mortality Rate. The term refers to the probability of a number of childbirths in a year or before reaching the age of 1. The infant mortality rate is not proportional (i.e. the number of deaths in a given period divided by the number of people at risk) but is the probability of death on the life table and is expressed as a rate per 1000 infants born.

What is the Full Form of IMR?

As mentioned above the full form of IMR is Infant Mortality Rate. IMR is the estimate of human infant mortality in the child population under one year of age. It is an important indicator of the general health of the society. The total number of infant deaths per 1000 births is called infant mortality. It provides important information about the health of parents and newborns, as well as an important indicator of people's health. A low infant mortality rate reflects good health care, which is key to a country's health and livelihood. The child mortality rate for a region is calculated by the total number of deaths in a year divided by the number of children born in that year which is later multiplied by 1000.

How is IMR Calculated?

Infant mortality rate (IMR full form) is a measure of the number of infant deaths per age per 1000 live births. To calculate IMR, one needs information about the number of births and deaths of infants under one-year-old. 

The IMR is calculated through the below formula:

IMR = Number of infant deaths under the age of 1 divided by the number of live births multiplied by 100

For eg. If the population has 2,000 births of infants and 50 deaths below 1 year of age, the IMR would be:

IMR= 50/2000 x 1000 = 25

Different Types of Infant Mortality Rates

Infant mortality is categorized into 3 types depending upon the duration of death: 

1. Perinatal Mortality: Fetal death between the 22nd week of pregnancy and the first week of birth.
2. Neonatal Mortality: This means that a baby or infant dies within 28 days of birth. It makes up about 40-60% of the IMR. This is due to the inability to provide medical care to pregnant women or children after childbirth.
3. Post Neonatal Mortality: It talks about the death of children born from 28 days to 1 year old. Proper nutrition, lack of hygiene, and infection are the main causes of this type.

What are the Causes of Infant Mortality?

The term infant mortality refers to the death of a newborn before the age of 1 year. There are multiple causes but some important ones are mentioned below

1. Premature Delivery: Babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are more likely to die due to low immune systems and underdeveloped organs.
2. Birth Defects: Congenital abnormalities such as heart defects can cause the baby to die.
3. Low Weight During Birth:  Babies with a low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) have a higher risk of death due to their small size and poor functioning of organs.
4. SIDS: The term refers to sudden infant death syndrome which is also called crib death, it results in the sudden and unexpected death of the child without any reason. It is the main cause of infant deaths.
5. Infections: The newborns also have a chance to get easily infected by infections due to their poor immune system. If the infant is infected by any severe infection it can lead to death if not treated well.
6. Poor Maternal Health: Maternal health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes increase the risk of infant mortality rate.
7. Lack of access: Sometimes infants do not receive timely and appropriate treatment which leads to a higher risk of death.
8. Poor Sanitation and water quality: Unhealthy and poor water quality can be harmful to the health of the baby and on the other side poor sanitation can lead to diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid which result in the death of an infant. 
9. Good parental care: The term refers to the healthcare that pregnant women require. It is really important to receive good parental care which helps in ensuring better health of mother and newborn.

Measures to Reduce the Infant Mortality Rate

There are multiple measures that can contribute to controlling the IMR, full form of which is infant mortality rate. Thus to prevent getting high mortality rate it is important to follow the measures which are mentioned below:

1. Access to good prenatal care: Pregnant women should go for regular checkups and treatments to ensure their health and their unborn child's health.
2. Healthy lifestyle: Pregnant women should avoid smoking, or intake of alcohol, and drugs and should follow a healthy diet. 
3. Immunization: Newborns should be vaccinated timely which ensures their health and chances of getting infected are reduced.
4. Clean water & good sanitation: Access to clean water and good sanitation can help in preventing waterborne diseases that can harm newborns.
5. Education: Providing better education to parents which includes information about infant care and nutrition helps in reducing infant mortality rate.
6. Poverty reduction: Poverty is a major factor in infant mortality and efforts to reduce it can help improve the health and well-being of families and children.
7. Easy access to healthcare: Ensuring that all infants receive good healthcare easily can also help to reduce infant mortality.

What is the Current Situation of IMR in India?

India does not have the highest or lowest infant mortality rate (IMR full form). Its decline means better healthcare and sanitation and also results in a reduced rate of female infanticide. Another indicator of the increase in the standard of living of the Indian population is the increase in life expectancy at birth. However, a large part of India's population lives in rural areas where living standards as well as health and hygiene standards are lower and more difficult than in the city. That's why the government created public health services to ensure stability in rural areas.

Written By: Deepit Mathur