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Improving Birth Outcomes Requires Closing the Racial Gap

Improving Birth Outcomes Requires Closing the Racial Gap In 2013, the maternal and child health community received encouraging news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After having stalled from 2000 to 2005, our nation's infant mortality rate declined 12% from 2005 through 2011, to 6.05 infant deaths per 1000 live births.1 The CDC also reported a significant decline in the infant mortality rate for African American mothers, as well as a slight narrowing of the longstanding two-to-one gap in rates between African Americans and whites. contributing to our unacceptably high national rate. Infant mortality rates are just one marker of birth outcomes and, in turn, our health as a nation, but they are a telling indicator. Numbers carried out two decimal points make it easy to gloss over the stark reality, so let's put it plainly: African American babies die before their first birthday at twice the rate of White babies. If we are to continue reducing infant mortality rates and improving birth outcomes for all, then we must address this racial gap head on. food, physical activity, and access to quality health care. Together these strategies address children along a developmental continuum from the preconception period, to the prenatal months, through to http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png American Journal of Public Health American Public Health Association

Improving Birth Outcomes Requires Closing the Racial Gap

Christopher, Gail; Simpson, Patrick
American Journal of Public Health , Volume 104 (S1): S10 – Feb 1, 2014
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References (5)

Publisher
American Public Health Association
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by the American Public Health Association
Subject
EDITORIALS
ISSN
0090-0036
eISSN
1541-0048
DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2013.301817
pmid
24354837
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In 2013, the maternal and child health community received encouraging news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After having stalled from 2000 to 2005, our nation's infant mortality rate declined 12% from 2005 through 2011, to 6.05 infant deaths per 1000 live births.1 The CDC also reported a significant decline in the infant mortality rate for African American mothers, as well as a slight narrowing of the longstanding two-to-one gap in rates between African Americans and whites. contributing to our unacceptably high national rate. Infant mortality rates are just one marker of birth outcomes and, in turn, our health as a nation, but they are a telling indicator. Numbers carried out two decimal points make it easy to gloss over the stark reality, so let's put it plainly: African American babies die before their first birthday at twice the rate of White babies. If we are to continue reducing infant mortality rates and improving birth outcomes for all, then we must address this racial gap head on. food, physical activity, and access to quality health care. Together these strategies address children along a developmental continuum from the preconception period, to the prenatal months, through to

Journal

American Journal of Public Health – American Public Health Association

Published: Feb 1, 2014

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