Differentials in post-neonatal mortality among good birth weight infants of different religious groups in Israel.

95000 infants are born annually in Israel 76% to Jews 20% to Moslems and 2% to Druze and Christian parents. During 1981-84 the infant mortality rate of Moslems and Druze was 22/1000 for Christians it was 16/1000 and for Jews it was 11/1000. 7.5% of Jewish infants and 6.5 of the infants in the other groups weighed less than 2.5 kg. Mortality among good birth weight (GBW 2500 gm or more) Jewish infants reached 4/1000 among Christians the figure was twice as high and among Moslems and Druze 4 times as high. Risk factors include socioeconomic status maternal age birth order and sex of infant. In 1977-80 more than 80% of Druze and Moslem mothers had less than 9 years of education as compared with 43% of Christians and 17% of Jews. Higher parental education improved postneonatal mortality except for Moslems Druze and Christians in whom an increase in mortality was concentrated in parents with 9 or more years of schooling. Among Jewish infants the proportion of mothers over age 35 increased from 8.5% to 11.4% by 1981-84. The proportion of 4 + births was increasing in the 1980s as the ultra-Orthodox population was increasing and the proportion of older mothers. In 1977-80 among Jews the male postneonatal mortality was higher and among non-Jews the female death rate was 10-50% higher. Malformation rate was the highest (2/1000) among GBW Moslem infants.