Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality rates in the united states, 1989-2006

L.M. Rossen and K.C. Schoendorf

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 8, 1549-1556

Abstract: Objectives. We sought to measure overall disparities in pregnancy outcome, incorporating data from the many race and ethnic groups that compose the US population, to improve understanding of how disparities may have changed over time. Methods. We used Birth Cohort Linked Birth-Infant Death Data Files from US Vital Statistics from 1989-1990 and 2005-2006 to examine multigroup indices of racial and ethnic disparities in the overall infant mortality rate (IMR), preterm birth rate, and gestational age-specific IMRs. We calculated selected absolute and relative multigroup disparity metrics weighting subgroups equally and by population size. Results. Overall IMR decreased on the absolute scale, but increased on the population-weighted relative scale. Disparities in the preterm birth rate decreased on both the absolute and relative scales, and across equally weighted and population-weighted indices. Disparities in preterm IMR increased on both the absolute and relative scales. Conclusions. Infant mortality is a common bellwether of general and maternal and child health. Despite significant decreases in disparities in the preterm birth rate, relative disparities in overall and preterm IMRs increased significantly over the past 20 years.

Keywords: ancestry group; article; Asian American; Black person; Caucasian; ethnic group; ethnology; gestational age; health disparity; Hispanic; human; infant; infant mortality; newborn; prematurity; statistics; United States, African Continental Ancestry Group; Asian Americans; Continental Population Groups; Ethnic Groups; European Continental Ancestry Group; Gestational Age; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Infant; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301272_2

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301272

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