Аннотация
Background The proportion of abandoned children in the countries of the former Soviet Union is among the highest in the world. The proportion of institutionalized children in Kazakhstan is the highest in the European WHO region (1.59% in 2010)and is a considerable public health problem. However, the information on the circumstances surrounding infant abandonment specific to Kazakhstan remains unknown. Objectives To study socio-demographic determinants of infant abandonment in Kazakhstan. Methods A case-control study. We included all 17 women who abandoned their infants in maternity units in a town of Semey, East Kazakhstan from September 2011 through September 2012 (cases). A total of 140 randomly selected women gave birth in the same maternity units during the study period and who did not abandon their infants served as controls. Socio-demographic factors included in this study were maternal age, ethnicity (Kazakh, Russian or other), place of residence (urban or rural), marital status, parity, education, occupation, availability of a stable income, and infant sex. Comparisons between cases and controls were performed using Pearson's chi-squared tests for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney tests for continuous variables. Results Median age of women who abandoned their children was lower (24 vs. 27 years, p = 0.005). Cases were less likely to be married (29.4% vs. 91.4%, p < 0.001), but more likely to be cohabiting, single or divorced. They were also less likely to have higher education (58.8% vs. 80.0%, p = 0.047), more likely to be unskilled workers (64.7% vs. 22.1%, p = 0.004), although the proportion of unemployed women did not differ between the groups. Women who abandoned their child were more than twice as likely to have no stable income as controls (58.8% vs. 27.1%, p = 0.006). Maternal ethnic Background, place of residence, parity and infant sex were not associated with abandonment. Conclusions Women who abandon their infants in Kazakhstan represent a marginalized group of the society similar to what has been reported from other countries. The results should be used with caution given that the study was performed only in one town. More data are needed to study independent association between these and other factors and the outcome. The reasons for high abandonment rate in Kazakhstan and current activities to reduce it will be presented. Key message Women who abandon their infants in Kazakhstan represent a marginalized group of the society similar to what has been reported from other countries.