Assessment of trend, pattern and predictive factors determining infant mortality among the tea garden labour community of Assam, India

Abstract Background Infant mortality characterizes a critical public health concern in developing country like India, with considerable disparities across socio-economically marginalized and deprived communities. Despite widespread research at the national and state levels, inadequate empirical evidence exists regarding infant mortality among the tea garden labour community in Assam, who exhibits distinct socio-cultural and livelihood conditions. Addressing this gap, the current study aims to explore the level and determinants of infant mortality among the tea garden community in Assam. Method The study is empirical in nature, based on primary data collected from 1,308 households across five main tea-growing districts of the state- Dibrugrah, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Sonitpur, adopting a multistage random sampling method. Information was obtained from women belonging to the reproductive age group (15–49 years). The analysis of the research employs a binary logistic regression model to determine the key factors influencing infant mortality. Result The findings of the study reveal that average infant mortality rate in the study area is 33.14 per 1000 live births during the reference period 2019–2023. The results of the regression analysis reveals that maternal education, pre-maturity at the time of birth and ante-natal care of the mother during pregnancy are the most significant determinants ( p < 0.001) of infant mortality in the study. Moreover, sanitation facility ( p < 0.05) and sex of the child ( p < 0.10) are also found to be significant factors having marginal effects on infant mortality. On the contrary, the influence of other variables such as Monthly Income of Household, Mother’s Age at birth, Birth Order of infant, and Access to Safe Drinking Water are not found to have significant impact on experience of infant mortality. Conclusion The study highlights the importance of maternal education, management and prevention of prematurity, provision of appropriate ante-natal care, and improved household sanitation in reducing infant mortality among the tea garden communities. These findings, therefore, provide context-specific insights that may help to form targeted maternal and infant health interventions and policies for tea garden communities in Assam.