What is it?
Infant Mortality
The death of an infant before his or her first birthday
Rate = # of deaths / 1,000 live births
Neonatal mortality is occurs when a baby dies before the age of 28 days
In 2019, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 5.6 deaths for every 1,000 live births
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The five leading causes of infant death in 2018 were:
Birth defects
Preterm birth and low birth weight
Injuries (e.g., suffocation)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Maternal pregnancy complications
Risk Factors
Poverty
Race
Low socioeconomic status
Limited access to prenatal care
Poor physical and mental health
Obesity
Diabetes
Hypertension
Alcohol
Tobacco
HIV
Population Impact
Understanding infant mortality rates helps us to better understand the health of the overall population. Factors that contribute to infant deaths also affect the members of the entire population. Examples include:
- Access to medicine
- Trained healthcare providers
- Clean water
- Safe food
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In spite of the risk factors listed in the section above, research shows that although African American women are more likely to experience these factors rather than non-Hispanic white women, this greater likelihood does not fully account for the racial gap in outcomes. Rather, these disparities stem from racial and gender discrimination over the life span of these women.