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Publication #FAR0427

 

Newborn Mortality in the United States1

Donna Davis2

Figure 1. 
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While the United States boasts some of the finest healthcare facilities and services known to humankind, the country also has one of the highest newborn mortality rates in the industrialized world. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, the U.S. is tied for second to last (with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia), with 5 newborn deaths per 1,000 live births (World Health Organization 2005).

In a recent report published by the international humanitarian organization Save the Children, researchers explained that the causes of death among newborns in industrialized countries are very different than those in developing countries where almost "half of newborn deaths are due to infection, tetanus and diarrhea" (Save the Children, 2006, p. 37). In industrialized countries, newborns are more likely to die as a result of premature birth and low birthweight (MCHB 2003).

Most at risk are minorities, even when mothers have early and equal access to prenatal care. Black infants are 3.4 times more likely to die at birth than whites, while Hispanic infants have a 1.5 times higher infant mortality rate, and all other races other than white are 1.9 times higher (Healy et al. 2006).

So if these moms have the same care, researchers were puzzled by what factors are associated with infant mortality. When controlling for other known risk factors such as weight gain, alcohol, and tobacco use, race, weight prior to pregnancy and prenatal care (Berkowitz 1981), researchers at Princeton University and the Brookings Institute found one of the most significant risk factors was low socioeconomic status and educational levels (World Health Organization 2005). And while the reason why newborn mortality is higher among lower socioeconomic women in the U.S. is still unclear, many organizations are focusing on this group to seek solutions.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://radiosource.net/radio_stories/437%20-%20newborn%20mortality.mp3

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References

Berkowitz, G. S. (1981). An epidemiological study of preterm delivery. American Journal of Epidemiology, 113, 81-92. [Accessed 4/19/2012] http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/113/1/81.full.pdf+html

Center for the Future of Children. (1995). The future of children: Low birth weight, Volume 5, Number 1. [Accessed April 19, 2012] http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=60

Healy, A. J., Malone, F. D., Sullivan, L. M., Porter, T. F., Luthy, D. A., Comstock, C. H., et al. (2006.) Early access to prenatal care: Implications for racial disparity in perinatal mortality. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 107, 625-63.1

Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). (2003). Child health USA 2003: Health status – infants. [Accessed May 10, 2006] http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa03/pages/status.htm

Save the Children. (May 2006). State of the world's mothers 2006: Saving the lives of mothers and newborns. [Accessed April 19, 2012] http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/SOWM_2006_FINAL.PDF

World Health Organization. (April 2005). World Health Report 2005. Make every mother and child count. [Accessed April 19, 2012] http://www.who.int/whr/2005/media_centre/slides_en.pdf

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR0427, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 437. Created June 2006. Published on EDIS August 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, senior producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.