The United States is continuing to fall behind other developed nations in terms of infant mortality, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The US now ranks 29th of all countries in the world, up from 27th in 2000. In 1990, the US ranked 23rd and in 1960, we were 12th on the list of nations.
This continual increase has health officials, and women, concerned. The infant mortality rate is 6.71 per 1000 live births, or 28,000 babies each year. This figure includes all infant deaths under one year of age. The 6.71 figure is the average for all races, but the actual mortality rate ranges from 4.42 to 13.63, depending on the ethnic group.
The infant mortality rates are lowest for Cuban women (4.42) and highest for black women (13.63). Other groups fall in the middle of this range: 4.68 for Central and South American, 4.89 Asian and Pacific Islands, 5.53 Mexican, 5.96 Caucasian and 8.06 American Indian or Native Alaskan.
Twenty two countries have an infant mortality rate of under 5.0 in 1000. The countries with the lowest rates are Scandinavian and East Asian countries, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. All these countries have an infant mortality rate below 3.5 per 1000.
Preterm birth appears to be a large factor in the infant mortality rate of the United States. Thirty six percent of infant deaths are due to preterm labor. This figure has increased by five percent since 2000.
Infant mortality due to preterm labor affects some racial and ethnic groups more than others. In white women, 32 percent of infant deaths are related to preterm birth. For black women, the figure is 46 percent and 41 percent for Puerto Rican women.
Several factors are said to influence the outcome for women, including socioeconomic status and access to medical care. There is a goal set to reduce the infant mortality rate in the United States. This is known as the Healthy People **** goal, with a target of 4.5 per 1000. We are still far from that goal.