[Infant mortality and sociodemographic conditions in Ceará, Brazil, 1991 and 2000].

Objective: To assess ecological models to describe infant mortality rate in Ceara (Northeastern Brazil) in two different periods of time.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional ecologic study of two years, 1991 and 2000, using non-matching information per municipalities. Estimates on the infant mortality rate of the Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas Aplicadas (Institute of Applied Economic Research) have been used.

[Spatial distribution of the infant mortality rate and its principal determinants in the State of Ceará, Brazil, 2000-2002].

The geographic distribution of health problems and its relationship to potential risk factors has opened a vast field for epidemiological research. The present study aims to identify spatial distribution patterns for the neonatal and post-neonatal components of the infant mortality rate (IMR) in Ceará State, Brazil, and discuss the main socioeconomic, demographic, and healthcare factors contributing to the spatial dependence of these components. This cross-sectional ecological study uses multiple linear regression, in which spatial analysis of the components was obtained through the Moran index.