Infant Mortality Statistics

July 2000

National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health

July 21, 2000

1. INFANT MORTALITY STATISTICS RELEASED; NEW SIDS CAMPAIGN AIMED AT AFRICAN AMERICANS

Over 28,000 US infants died in their first year of life in 1998, for an overall infant mortality rate that remained the same as it had been the year before (7.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births), according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report presents data for the US and 3-year average infant mortality rates for each state. The data are based on linked birth and death records for infants under 1 year of age who died in 1998.

Findings include the following:

Infants born to black mothers had the highest infant mortality rate (13.8 per 1,000 live births), while those born to Japanese and Cuban mothers had the lowest rates (3.5 per 1,000 and 3.6 per 1,000, respectively). Other groups' rates per 1,000 live births were as follows: Chinese (4.0), Mexican (5.6), non-Hispanic white (6.0), Filipino (6.2), Puerto Rican (7.8), American Indian (9.3), and Hawaiian (10.0).

The leading causes of infant mortality were 1) congenital anomalies, 2) disorders related to low birthweight, 3) sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), 4) maternal complications, and 5) respiratory distress syndrome. The first three causes accounted for almost one-half of all infant deaths in the US. Congenital anomalies were the leading cause of death for all races and ethnic groups, except for infants of black mothers, for whom the leading cause of death was disorders related to low birthweight.

Infant mortality rates for the period 1996-98 varied among states, ranging from 10.5 in Mississippi to 4.5 in New Hampshire. Among infants of black mothers, rates ranged from 17.1 in Illinois and Nebraska to 10.1 in Massachusetts. Among infants of American Indian mothers, rates ranged from 15.3 in Minnesota to 7.2 in New Mexico.

In related news, a new campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS has been launched in response to the results of a national survey showing that African Americans are less likely to put their babies to sleep on their backs, which is the preferred sleeping position to reduce the risk of SIDS, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A survey of almost 500 parents with children under age 3 found that only 31% of African-American parents surveyed put their babies to sleep on their backs. The "Safe Sleep" campaign is sponsored by CPSC, Gerber Products, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary Health Care, and Black Entertainment Television.

National Center for Health Statistics. 2000, July 20. Infant mortality statistics show variation by race, ethnicity, and state. News release available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/00facts/infantmo.htm.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission. 2000, July 19. CPSC, Gerber, BPHC, BET launch campaign to lower African-American SIDS rates: New survey finds African-Americans less likely to place babies to sleep on their backs; SIDS rates twice as high as other groups. Available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml00/00144.html.