Proportion and factors associated with Apgar less than 7 in the 5th minute of life: from 1999 to 2019, what has changed?

Although variation between observers in the assessment of the Apgar score, it remains a useful indicator of the general conditions of the newborn. This is a cross-sectional study based on population of live births in Brazil in 1999 and biennium 2018-2019. All declarations of live births (DNV) obtained from the Live Births System database were accessed. Frequencies were compared between groups using Pearson's chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. A statistical significance level of 0.05 was considered. We included 9.050.521 DNVs in our research. We found that 2,1% of newborns had 5th minute Apgar < 7 in 1999 compared with 0,9% in 2018-2019. Multivariate analysis shows that twins and teenage pregnancy are no longer risk factors. Among risk factors, we observed an increase in prematurity, low birth weight and congenital anomalies. An improvement in maternal markers was observed, especially increase in the number of prenatal consultations and schooling. Such findings demonstrate the importance access and adequate prenatal care and improved socioeconomic conditions as effective strategy to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality.