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Washington State Infant Mortality Rate by Race 1981-2004 showing the death rate for African & Native American compared to White & Asian.First Steps Database: Infant Mortality and SIDS

 

Summary

Infant mortality rates and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) rates for all racial/ethnic groups in Washington have decreased considerably since 1988. Although the mortality rates for African American infants and American Indian infants remain higher than the mortality rate for white infants, the disparity between the groups has been reduced. After controlling for poverty, the disparity in SIDS rates has been eliminated for African American infants and reduced for American Indian infants.

Key factors which made these improvements possible include:

  • A very strong statewide program (First Steps, Medicaid’s maternity care program) with the express purpose to ensure healthy birth outcomes for low-income families, together with an excellent medical system for perinatal care;

  • Overall improvements in measures of birth outcomes over time along with regular monitoring of outcomes for high-risk groups;
  • Risk factor data that suggested targeted interventions for high-risk groups, and implementation of these interventions in 2002.
While these factors favored reduction, and elimination in some cases, of disparities, these changes occurred over a fifteen-year time period, and only with adequate monitoring of outcomes and risk factors for high-risk groups were targeted interventions successful. The differences between African Americans and American Indians demonstrate this.
 

Download

Click here to download the report: First Steps Database: Infant Mortality and SIDS

Click on the PDF symbol to the left and download the report: "First Steps Database: Infant Mortality and SIDS"  Publication Date: 4/2006. Report Number: 9.81, (48 KB)

To view this Portable Document Format (PDF) you may experience errors or unexpected behavior while opening or reading the file you downloaded. Therefore, we suggest that you always use the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Persons with disabilities may call to request a paper copy.

 

 

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Modified: Friday September 14 2007  

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