Infant mortality: Inside the numbers
Quick View. May 28, 2007.
| U.S. infant mortality (per 1,000 live births), 2004 |
|
| Race and ethnicity of mother |
Total |
Preterm-related |
| Non-Hispanic black |
13.6 |
6.24 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native |
8.45 |
1.89 |
| Puerto Rican |
7.82 |
3.15 |
| Non-Hispanic White |
5.66 |
1.80 |
| Mexican |
5.47 |
1.72 |
| Asian Pacific Islander |
4.67 |
1.63 |
| Overall |
6.78 |
2.45 |
Since 2000, U.S. infant mortality rates have stopped declining and started leveling off.
This change is attributed in part to an increase in preterm and low-birth-weight births. By 2004, 36.1% of all infant deaths in the U.S. were preterm-related, up from 34.5% in 1999. Experts connect the overall phenomena to an increase of multiple births, which in turn are related to more widespread use of assisted reproductive therapies; and to changes in the medical management of pregnancy, such as more frequent preterm cesarean deliveries and preterm induction of labor. Experts urge continued tracking of preterm-related causes of infant death to improve understanding of trends in infant mortality and perinatal health in the U.S.
Note: Preterm-related deaths are those in which the infant was born before 37 completed weeks of gestation and the underlying cause of death has a direct, etiological connection to preterm birth based on categories in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Asian Pacific Islander includes people of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System
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Copyright 2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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