Final answer:
Neonatal mortality measures the deaths in the first 28 days of life per 100 live births, providing insight into the health of a population, especially in early life stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The measure of neonatal mortality refers to the number of deaths that occur in the first 28 days of life per 100 live births. While similar to the infant mortality rate, which calculates the number of infant deaths in the first year of life per 1,000 live births, neonatal mortality is more specific to the very early stages of life. Various factors contribute to neonatal mortality, including health care quality, socio-economic conditions, and medical interventions available. High rates of neonatal mortality often indicate poor health care systems, particularly in lower-income countries where such rates are typically higher compared to developed nations. It's an important statistic used for assessing the health of a population, alongside other indicators such as life expectancy and education levels.