INFANT MORTALITY & RACE Trends in the United States Introduction to Family Studies Group # 2 Jane Doe: John Sample of an A- project This presentation lost points for failing to provide a source on several slides and an incorrect citation on reference page

Comments & Grade This is a very well done presentation. You went above and beyond the requirements, while following all the directions!!!! And the presentation is creative. I really liked how you made each trend line appear one at a time on the graph. Maybe you could show me how to do that. Make sure to provide a source for all statements and data on every slide You incorrectly cited the first reference. Where is author name of article? A-

INTRODUCTION Over the past four decades, infant mortality rates in the United States have declined while racial disparities have grown (Turner, 1995). Infants are defined as being from age 1 to 4 Overall rates of infant mortality are leveling off Black infants are still more than twice as likely to die as white infants (CDC, 1999). The growing trends in infant mortality rates in the United States may a reflection of the influence of social and economic inequality (Gortmaker, Wise, 1997). Excellent and factual and well-referenced introduction!

HYPOTHESIS We expect that the infant mortality rate in the United States may be higher for African-American infants than for white infants. This may be due to the fact that African Americans have higher rates of poverty and/or lower access to healthcare (CDC, 2007)

INTRODUCTION & HYPOTHESIS Outcome Variable Rate of Infant Mortality Demographic variable Race Race is a demographic characteristic that may be related to differences in the rate of infant mortality Years studied:

DATA Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S. for 2004 Number of Live Births-4,112,052 Number of Infant Deaths- 27,936 Deaths per 1,000 Live Births-6.8 Number of Deaths for Leading Causes of Infant Death Congenital Malformations-5,622 Short Gestation/Low Birth Weight-4,642 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)-2,246 SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, 2006

DATA Infant Mortality Statistics in the U.S. by Race All races-6.78 Asian/Pacific Islander-4.67 American Indian-8.45 Non-Hispanic Black Non-Hispanic White-5.66 Hispanic-5.55 Cuban-4.55 Puerto Rican-7.82 Mexican-5.47 Note that all rates are per 1,000 live births SOURCE: National Vital Statistics Report, 2004

DATA According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a wide variation between infant mortality rates and race continues to exist The highest rate was for infants of non-Hispanic black mothers per 1,000 live births The lowest rate was for infants of Cuban mothers 4.55 per 1,000 live births Rates for infants of non-Hispanic white mothers were intermediate, but all below the U.S. rate (Mathews & MacDorman, 2007)

DATA The data is reputable, collected by the U.S. government Center for Disease Control National Vital Statistics System, a sub- division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The data is based on death certificates from all states and thus is representative of all races of women who gave birth across the U.S. in the years studied

SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, 2007

RESULTS In 1985 the infant mortality rate for black women was 19.0 By 2000, the rate had declined to 14.0 (per 1,000 births) The rate of infant mortality declined for the total population as well as for whites and for blacks However, black women still have the highest rate of infant mortality Source: National Center for Health Statistics, How has this trend changed over time?

RESULTS How is the trend of disparity among racial groups growing? Although infant mortality has decreased among all races during the past two decades, the overall black- white gap for infant mortality has widened There is still a higher risk of low birth weight for black infants than for white infants Social factors like class and socioeconomic status influence IMRs Trends like teen pregnancy, single mothers, and divorce among races contribute to this widening gap Link to Source Site

RESULTS What factors influence the difference in infant mortality rates by race? Black infants are at a higher risk for mortality than white infants There are more black infants born with low birth weight (LBW) There are more preterm births among black infants Black infants are born to families without adequate prenatal health care Black infants are more likely to be born into poverty (Source?)

RESULTS How is this different for members of other racial groups like Hispanics? Hispanics of Puerto Rican background also have higher mortality rates than white infants because of higher LBW rates However, Cuban infants have the lowest mortality rate of all races at 4.55 per 1,000 live births Black infant mortality rates are nearly three times greater than Cuban Source?

DISCUSSION Our hypothesis was supported by data from various national data sources and research African Americans have higher rates of infant mortality compared to whites Also, infant mortality rates declined for both races from 1980 to 2004 This research shows that social and economic factors influence infant mortality rates for all races

DISCUSSION Our research also shows that the U.S. has infant mortality rates that are almost the same as those of developing nations (Source?) Further research on this trend might incorporate the age of mother, as well as race (Why is this important? How might age affect infant mortality rates?) In sum, African Americans have a greater likelihood of infant mortality compared to whites in the U.S.

REFERENCES CDC on infant and maternal mortality in the United States: (1999). Populations and Development Review, 25, Incorrect ctation! Center for Disease Control (2005). Morbidity and Mortality Report, 54, 1-3. Retrieved on March 2, 2009 from: Gortmaker, S. L., & Wise, P. H. (1997). The first injustice: Socioeconomic disparities, health services technology, and infant mortality. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, Mathews T. J., & MacDorman, M. F. (2007). Infant mortality statistics from the 2004 period linked birth/infant death data set. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 55 no 15. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States, Retrieved March 2, 2009 from Turner, R. (1995). Black-white infant mortality differential has grown in recent decades and will persist into next century. Family Planning Perspectives, 27,