Revisiting the effect of time of birth on neonatal, infant, and child mortality in rural Spain, 1830-1929.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This article aims to determine whether different patterns of mortality occurred among children born during the day and the night respectively, between 1830 and 1929. METHODS: The data include the time of birth and death of 9814 individuals from 10 villages in rural Spain between 1830 and 1929, within a context of natural births at home with little medical support. These data were subjected to a comparative analysis relating to the time of birth and the age at death. RESULTS: Neonatal, infant, and child mortality was higher for children born during daytime. The day-to-night mortality pattern diverged until children were at least 5 years old. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that the mortality patterns differed according to the time of birth. Possibly some of these children experienced longer or problematic deliveries that, in the absence of good medical assistance, had health consequences during the following days and years of life.