Infant Mortality Rate in the United States on the Decline

After keeping a steady rate for five years since 2005, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. has dropped. In 2005, it was 6.87 deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2011, it was reduced to 6.05 deaths per 1,000 live births. It went down to 12% since 2005, as stated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data brief early this week. This is a major issue and very good news since infant mortality indicates the state of health of any country. This is because today, fewer premature babies are being born. This data will greatly impact on changing the population statistics of the United States.

Leading causes of infant mortality rate in the U.S.

Fifty-six per cent of infant mortality is caused by five major determinants:
• Low birth weight/short gestation
• Congenital malfunctions
• Sudden infant death syndrome or SID
• Maternal complications
• Unintentional injuries

Biggest gains

The Southern states were the biggest gainers, even if the region still ranks among the states with the highest rate of infant mortality. It is a major plus factor since the decline on these select states such as District of Columbia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana and Georgia, was nearly over 20%. Likewise, the states of Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Michigan, Kansas, Illinois and Florida also had weighty declines.

The decline is not just true for white babies but for all babies of African Americans and other principal ethnic groups, which is really good news, despite the fact that this sector still has a higher infant death rate than their white counterparts. This remains to be a problem, according to the leader of the study, Marian MacDorman of the NCHS.

Contributors to the decline

Quality prenatal care became the focus of health officials for so many years to reduce infant mortality. Now they are also implementing better medical care for women during pregnancy and addressing young women’s health more. Expansive programs have been designed to be implemented across the United States, including the establishment of medical homes that provide comprehensive maternal care to new mothers and pregnant women.

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Health and Human Services last year announced that the U.S. federal government is set to work with private and public groups to come up with a workable strategy to reduce infant mortality at the national level. Some of the plans include addressing socio-economic issues, knowledge transfer in improving medical care for mothers and pregnant women, implementation of programs to increase women’s awareness of the potential dangers of pre-term births and elective birth deliveries.

As these goals are already creating an impact and being realized, the next goal is to maintain the implementation and performance of these goals, according to the Chief Executive of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Michael Fraser.

Photo Credit: Newborn Infant