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Infant Mortality
The infant mortality rate in the United States in 2004 was 6.78 infant (under 1 year of age) deaths per 1,000 live births, not significantly different from the rate of 6.84 in 2003, according to a new report released in May 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. The report, also finds continued racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality rates.
Non-Hispanic black women had the highest infant mortality rate in the United States in 2004 – 13.60 per 1,000 live births compared to 5.66 per 1,000 births among non-Hispanic white women. Women of Cuban ethnicity in the United States had the lowest infant mortality rate of 4.55 per 1,000 live births.
The overall infant mortality rate has declined by 10 percent since 1995, when the rate was 7.57 per 1,000 live births. However, the rate has not declined much since 2000 when it was 6.89. Infant mortality is the measure of our society’s health status and well being. Therefore it is necessary to identify the determinants of the stagnant and rising infant mortality rates in the U.S.
State Infant Mortality Collaborative
A partnership between AMCHP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, this three-year project supported five multidisciplinary state teams, as they investigated the infant mortality problem in their jurisdictions and made plans to address it as they deemed feasible and appropriate.
The five teams included Delaware, Hawaii, Missouri, North Carolina and Louisiana and represented 5 of 13 U.S. states with unusually high, stagnant or increasing infant mortality rates in 2004, the year the project began. The teams were supported in their work by more than 30 national experts and partner organizations, including the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau; National Institute of Child Health and Development; CityMatCH; National Association of City and County Health Officials and a number of state public health agencies.
In 2004, AMCHP and CDC launched the Collaborative, with a two-day meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. During this initial meeting, the state teams and national experts: 1) discussed the issues and problems pertaining to infant mortality; 2) discussed potential analytic strategies and tools for investigating infant mortality; 3) generated hypothesis and potential methods; and 4) developed core collaborative activities.
With the nation experiencing it first increase in infant mortality in decades and with several states experiencing increases for several years, the overarching goal of the Collaborative was aimed at bringing the nation's experts together to work with these teams.
Activities
- Intermittent Webcasts/Conference Calls-Periodic activity to keep participants involved and move the collaborative forward by providing educational training, presenting work in progress, and discussing pertinent challenges and opportunities.
- MCH EPI Conference/AMCHP Meeting-Sharing of collaborative tools and work in progress with the larger state MCH audience. 2005 Spring Meeting-Follow up of initial plans and development of next steps.
- Reports, Publications and Other Activities-Activities related to disseminating pertinent lessons learned, results and products.
- AMCHP Statement: Special Panel on Infant Mortality Health Disparities (4-08) [pdf]
Products
- Investigating Troubling Trends: A Report of the AMCHP/CDC State Infant Mortality Collaborative [PDF]
- State Infant Mortality Toolkit, a web-based resource that highlights data sources useful for state infant mortality assessment and provides a framework to assist states in selecting and defining appropriate indicators and selecting and utilizing methodological and statistical approaches to analyze data and interpret findings. Coming Soon!
Resources
Last Updated
April 28, 2008
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