Background & Objectives: Neonatal mortality rate is a main indicator of hygienic development and recognition of the mortality causes is the first step for reduction of the mortality rate and promotion of this indicator. Therefore, in this study, the causes of neonatal mortality have been investigated in Ardabil medical university related hospitals.

  Methods: This study is a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical one that has been done on the bases of admission's units and filling the medical record form for all neonates who have been admitted to Alavi and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Ardabil from September 2006 to September 2007. The questions of forms consisted of infant’s sex, birth weight, gestational age, cause and age of death. The data were analyzed by SPSS software with utilizing T- test and Chi-Squares.

  Results: During this study, there were 1881 admissions of which there were 148 deaths (7.86%). The causes of mortality were hyaline membrane disease (HMD) (52.02%), sepsis (14.86%), pneumonia (9.45%), congenital anomaly (12.83%), asphyxia (7.43%) and meconium aspiration (3.37%). Among the dead neonates, 54.72% were male and others were female. There were 550 LBW neonates and 111 deaths in this group result of our study showed that mortality rate in LBW neonates was 20.18%. There were 578 preterm neonates and 122 deaths in this group prevalence of mortality rate in preterm neonates was 21.10%.

  Conclusion: Prematurity and low birth weight are the most important and fixed cases of infant mortality. The most common causes of mortality were hyaline membrane disease and sepsis. Therefore, the prevention of preterm labor for reduction of prematurity and its related complication recommended which may lead to decreased rate of neonatal mortality.

  Background & Objectives: Birth weight less than 2500gr (as result of preterm delivery and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)) is a major cause of both neonatal health. Predominate cause of LBW in developed countries is premature birth, whereas in developing countries is more often IUGR. Different risk factors, including demographic and behavioral during and before pregnancy are effective in LBW incidences which can reduce LBW and neonatal mortality rate by identification and control of these risk factors. The present study has been carried out with purpose of identification and decreasing the LBW rate in Ardabil.

 Methods: In this case – control study all infants delivered in 2006 in hospitals in Ardabil were investigated. Every neonate whose weight was less than 2500gr was taken as a case (n=470) and 482 neonates whose weight was more than 2500gr was taken as a control. Data gathering was done through questionnaires, interviewing the mothers and physical examination. The data were analyzed statistically through SPSS.

 Results: In the present study, the presence of LBW amount is %6.4 in Ardabil hospitals. The results of our study showed that a significant relationship existed between prematurely and gestational age<37wk, mother’s age, mother’s job and maternal weight, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), maternal diseases, multiple births, bleeding during pregnancy, interval between pregnancies less than <2 years, prior history of low birth weight, use of drugs by mother in pregnancy, congenital malformation with LBW. In this study relation between parity, the use of Folic Acid, Fe, cigarette smoking and addiction of mother, living area (village or city), family marriage, health care and mother’s education were not significant with LBW.

  Conclusion: The LBW important risk factors in Ardabil hospitals were prematurity or gestational age <37wk, multiple pregnancies, PROM, mother’s age over 35 years, and mother weight <50kg, maternal diseases.