Household income is a key and independent determinant of food insecurity and malnutrition (Fotso, 2006). While malnutrition is, on average, higher in rural compared to urban areas, socioeconomic inequalities are, to a large extent, higher in cities than in rural areas (Fotso, 2006). Structural imbalance and diversity in Brazilian society is an historical product (Pinto, 1997). Class stratification maintains the inability for mothers in Brazil of low income household communities to provide for their children (Scheper- Hughes, 1990). In particular to this paper, class stratification influences mothers’ decision as to whether their infant(s) is worth caring for or not by determining the health, energy, and look of the baby which are characteristics mothers look for in an infant “worth” rearing according to the psychobiological attachment and bonding theory (Scheper- Hughes, 1990). This is because the standard of living of these mothers determine the mothers’ ability to comfortably and conveniently care for their infants (Scheper- Hughes, …show more content…
Within urban cities, children from the poorest households stand greater risk to be undernourished, than their counterparts in the most privileged households (Fotso, 2006). The difference between the adjusted and unadjusted levels of inequality in under-five mortality by household wealth is the result of other covariates in Sastry’s study- household water supply and sanitation and mother’s education (Sastry, 2004). The main component of the infant mortality in Rio de Janeiro is the neonatal mortality, which is related to broad socioeconomic conditions, but particularly to the access to health care facilities and to the quality of perinatal care (Szwarcwald, 2000). Appropriate effects operate when the health status of individuals depends not only on their own characteristics but also on the supra-individual effects associated with the area where they live or the social group to which they belong (Szwarcwald, 2002). Variations found in infant mortality geographical distribution have been explained by the strong relationship between early neonatal mortality and access to health care facilities (Szwarcwald, 2002). The worst health situation was established precisely in the sector that concentrates very poor living standards and the highest density of slum residents (Szwarcwald, 2000). Some factors like improvement in infrastructure provides alternative pathways