McKenzie and Pinger define infant mortality as death prior to 1 year of age. It is expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 live births. Leading causes of infant mortality are: congenital malformation, preterm/low birth weight, complications during pregnancy and accidents. In the last 100 years there have been decreases in infant mortality due to economic growth, sanitation improvement, developed medical care and enhanced nutrition. (McKenzie & Pinger, 2017). Infant mortality rates vary amid ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Infant mortality rates are based on the 1983 and 1984 birth and infant-death files, mother’s race and Hispanic origin. Asians have a lower rate of infant mortality than whites but the rates vary …show more content…
The most common way of calculating infant mortality rates are dividing the number of infant deaths in a year by the number of live births in that year. Infant mortality rates related to race are only valid when the coding of the race on the birth and death certificate are comparable. On the other hand, results from the 1983 and 1984 National Linked Birth-Death Files reveal that the coding for races other than black or white is not proportionate.
The methods used in this article were taking infant mortality rates from linked birth-death files and calculating them by using the race and Hispanic origin of the mother documented on the birth certificate. There were two reasons why the race of the child wasn’t used. First, the race of the child is designated in an arbitrary manner depending on the mother and fathers race. The example they give in the article is, if the mother of the child is black and the father is white then the child’s race is coded as the race of the parent who isn’t black. Secondly, the child’s race wasn’t used is the race of the father is unrecognized 20% of birth certificates as to the 1% for which the mothers race is unknown. Data on Hispanic origin were collected and documented in 23 states in the United States in 1983 and 1984.
Data on White, Black, American Indian, Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Filipino), Hispanic origin (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American), non-Hispanic origin, white and black were collected and
D. The infant mortality rate measures the number of deaths each year to infants under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births.
There is a very low infant mortality rate, 2.8 in a thousand, and a relatively low birth rate as well, at 7.41 births in a thousand. However, the death rate, 9.83 deaths in a thousand, is
Infant mortality rate constitutes the death of a baby before their first birthday. Mortality rates around the world differ tremendously with America leading the first world countries at an alarming rate of 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births. Conversely, Finland and Japan secure the last, most desirable position, with deaths totaling 2.3 per 1,000 births, as of 2010. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) In 2014, over 23,000 babies died in the United States. (CDC, 2016) Exploring the mortality rates in America brings light to a dire need for additional interventions and research as to why this developing nation has the highest rate of infant deaths before the age of 1 year old. African Americans face the worst outcomes of infant death compared to whites, Latino, and their Native American peers in North Carolina. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) This paper will explore why African American are the leading race for infant mortality and the steps that health communities need to take to address this devastating occurrence.
“Compared with European Americans, African American infants experience disproportionately high rates of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm delivery and are more than twice as likely to die during their 1st year of life”(Giscombé, C. L., & Lobel, M., 2005). The infant mortality rate for African Americans is 13.7 deaths per 1000 live births, more than twice the rate (5.7) for White Americans in the U.S. (Kung, Hoyert, Xu, & Murphy, 2008). A lot of the racial disparity in infant mortality can be explained by low birthweight and preterm delivery, which are also disproportionately and often experienced by African Americans (Martin et al., 2007).
In 2008, the death rates for infants was 53% higher for AI/AN women compared with non-Hispanic white women (Centers for Diseas Control, 2015). This is a significant disparity between these two populations. Good health is influenced by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic state, geographic locale, education, and lack of health insurance to name just a few (Healthy People, 2015). The comparison and contrast identified in previous paragraphs clearly presents the existing health disparity of AI/AN’s population.
Major disparities continue to exist in spite of America’s “Affordable Care Act”, Although minorities suffer disease five times greater than the rest of the nation, minorities represent the majority of the disparity. Infant Mortality has always been America’s indicator as to the state of the countries health status. America is one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in the world, However, America ranks number 24th in the world for infant mortality. Puerto Rican and Indian women rank highest among ethnic classes with low infant mortality rates. Some researchers have found lack of prenatal access as the key contributing factor to low mortality and birth weights among these two ethnic classes.
Puerto Rico desire is to eliminate disparities in health to attain a reduced death rate. Mortality rates declined in the 1900s; however, inequalities in infant mortality are still prevalent. Infant death rate is 1 per 1000 live births ( ). Although rates declined by 24% in the late 1900s, the disparity in rates between infants born in Puerto Rico and those born in America stayed the
Diversity within the United States has been growing progressively within the past century. About 36 percent of the U.S. population is a part of a minority group, according to the 2010 U.S. Census (CDC, 2017). According to the U.S. Census, a “majority-minority” country is projected by the middle of 21st century, resulting in the white population becoming less than 50% of the population (Elchoufani, 2018). Overall, the life expectancy and child mortality in the U.S. has bettered; however, the minority undergo unequal distribution of illness, disease, disability, and death in comparison to non-minority (CDC, 2017). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), even with all the attempts help diminish health care disparities for minorities, the minorities continue to face these unequal disparities (BLH, 2015).
About 36.6% of the population in the U.S belong to or identifies as one of the 5 ethnic minority groups. These groups are Native Hawaiian, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, African American or Black, or Pacific Islander. The U.S has the most expensive health care system in the world yet many of these minority groups are worse off in regards to socioeconomic and health care status if compared to white Americans. It is plain to see this health disparity when some communities have death rates comparable to 3rd world countries.
When looking at infant mortality rates in the lowest class evidence shows that double the amount of babies die in comparison to the highest class this can be linked to poverty the poorer you are the worse your chances are even at birth. These following factors increase the risk of infant death; the age of the mother aged less than 18 years is the highest and the lowest for mothers between 30 and 34. With the high teenage pregnancy epidemic and women from lower social class background the most at risk from losing their baby.
Discuss disparities related to ethnic and cultural groups relative to low birth weight infants and preterm births.
The mortality rate has been high in the region but in the past ten years there has been a notable decrease in birth rate. This has however not affected the population growth of the area. The Chicago pregnant mothers have smoking habits which is one of the causes of the decrease in the birth rate. Generally the area recorded a decrease in the infant mortality rate. It decreased from 7.6 in 2003 to 7.3 infants’ death less than 1 year of age per 1,000 live births in 2004. This represents the second lowest record in the United States according to Illinois Centre for Health Statistics, a division of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). According to the report, the infant mortality rate decreased by 4.6 per cent between 2003 and 2004 and at the same period the birth rate decreased by 0.9 percent. This was due to the fall in the number of the total births in the area. However, there was a decrease in the mortality rate in the state during this period due to the effects of the neonatal period. The neonatal mortality rate decreased from 6.5 to 5.4 percent between 2003 and 2004 while the postnatal mortality rate increased from 3.1to 3.0 between the same periods (2003-2004). The infant mortality rate recorded a larger decline among the blacks compared to the whites, that is, 15.6 in 2003 to 14.8 in 2004 (Sinai Urban Health
though on average 25 percent died within the first year of life and childhood diseases prevented
There were many new regulations put in place by the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Centers for Disease Control and other government agencies. These included changes in how medical students were educated to care for minority patients and in how doctors were expected to treat all patients. Even with all the attention and concern paid to this issue, health disparities continue to exist and in some cases to increase. Research shows that disparities continue to exist today even when people have a good income and health insurance ( http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/health-disparities-overview.aspx). Some of the differences between minorities are in areas of infant deaths, life expectancy and number of chronic diseases. The research shows that black babies are one to three
In 2013, 289 000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth and it was estimated that everyday 800 women all over the world died from childbirth or childbirth-related problems (World Health Organization, 2014). Often, maternal mortality is found to occur more often in developing countries than developed countries. Maternal mortality refers women who died from the situation like during pregnancy, termination of pregnancy within 42 days, regardless of duration and place of pregnancy, from aggravation caused by the pregnancy or pregnancy management (Nwagha et al, 2010). Maternal mortality may be resulted from direct or indirect cause. Direct causes are from obstetric complications of pregnancy, labour, and puerperium, and interventions whereas indirect causes are from the worsening of current conditions by pregnancy or delivery (Givewell, 2009). This paper aims to examine the causes for maternal mortality in both developed and developing countries and will end with a proposal for government to ensure women are given reproductive health rights.