Although this is a vast improvement over the past, it still represents a large number. A total of 27,960 babies died during their first year of life in 2000. One way to grasp the true meaning of the improvement made in infant mortality rates over the fifty years, 1950 to 2000, is to realize that had the infant mortality rate of 1950 existed in the year 2000, we would have lost 118,519 babies. The infant mortality rate in 1950 was 29.2 per 1,000 more than 4 times the rate at the turn of the 21st century, 6.8 per 1,000 live births. Great progress has been made.
Infant mortality is divided into neonatal deaths, those occurring less than 28 days after birth, and postneonatal, infants who survive the first 28 days but die before they reach their first year. More than two-thirds of infant deaths (18,733 in 2000) are neonatal. Most neonatal deaths are associated with (1) low birth weight, (2) congenital malformation, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities, (3) conditions caused by complications in the mother's pregnancy, (4) respiratory distress, and (5) by complications of placenta, cord, and membranes. Such causes consistently account for more than 50% of all neonatal death.
One third of infant deaths (9,227 in 2000) occurred after the first 28 days of life. The leading cause of death for these infants was sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) followed by congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities. The third cause was accidents.
Race breakdowns for infant mortality are based on the mother's race. The highest rates experienced are by African Americans (13.5 per 1,000 live births in 2000), the lowest by Asians and Pacific Islanders (4.9). Whites had a rate of 5.7 in 2000. People of Hispanic origin, regardless of race, had a rate of 5.6 while American Indians and Alaskan Natives lost 8.3 babies for every 1,000 born in 2000.
The infant mortality rate experienced by blacks is still quite high, more than twice that experienced by whites. Although many attribute this difference to the lower average household income of blacks, one must ask why this reasoning does not hold for Hispanics. As the following table shows, there was no direct correlation between median household income and infant mortality rates in 2000.
| Race or Ethnic Group | Median Household Income | Infant Mortality Rate |
| White | $44.232 | 5.7 |
| Black | $30.436 | 13.5 |
| Hispanic | $33.455 | 5.6 |
The causes of infant mortality are complex. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infant mortality rate is one of the most widely used general indices of health in both the United States and around the world. We have come a long way. But we have further to go in our efforts to keep African American babies alive and healthy.
Sources: Infant mortality data are from three reports by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 49, No. 8, and 11, September 21, 2001 and October 12, 2001. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 12, August 28, 2002. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Current Tends in Infant Mortality-United States, 1988," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 21, 1991. Income data are from the U.S. Census Bureau, Income 2000, Table 1. "Median Income of Households by Selected Characteristics, Race, and Hispanic Origin of Householder: 2000, 1999, and 1998," available online at http://census.gov/hhes/income/income00/inctab1.html.
1 This statement is from a report entitled The Myth of Shrinking Population published by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation. The report does not show an author. See source note for a full citation.
2 The Total Fertility Rate is the number of children born to 1,000 women during their childbearing years.
3 These data come from various sources. Data for the earliest years, 1940, 1950, and 1960, are for mothers of young children but the exact age of the children is not specified. For the rest of the years, data are for mothers of children under six years of age. See source note for full citations.
4 In 1950 the median age at which women entered a first marriage was 20.3 years. By the year 2000 that age had risen to 25.1 years. Men are also entering marriage later at the turn of the century (age 26.8 years) than they did in the middle (22.8 years).
5 This term refers to the types of treatments that assist in conception, like in vitro fertilization, and go beyond the use of drugs.
6 Worth noting here is the birth date of Louise Joy Brown, the world's very first "test-tube baby," born on July 25, 1978 in Great Britain. A test-tube baby is a baby who results from an in vitro fertilization procedure. "In vitro," literally, means "in glass."
7 Data were not collected on a national basis for this measure until the late 1980s. The estimate for 1970 is made by the National Institute of Health. See source note for a full citation.
8 Quoted in an article by Jeffrey Zurlinden. See source notes for full citation.
9 Defensive medicine is what one calls the medicine practiced when doctors order tests, procedures, or visits, or avoid high-risk patients or procedures primarily (but not necessarily solely) to reduce their exposure to malpractice liability.
10 In the case of Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that most state laws on abortion were unconstitutional. This decision eliminated legislative interference in abortion matters during the first trimester of pregnancy. It also placed limits on the restrictions that states could pass on abortion in later stages of pregnancy.
11 The birth defect categories have names that are reasonably self-explanatory. Clarification on two may be useful. Genitourinary defects are those related to the absence of one or both kidneys (if both are missing, death occurs shortly after birth); or those related to urinary obstruction, malformations that obstructs the passage of urine. Chromosomal defects are those related to chromosomal abnormalities that may result in conditions like Down syndrome. About 40% of babies with this condition also suffer from congenital heart defects as well as visual and hearing impairments.
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