Prematurity, congenital anomalies and obstetric conditions account for many infant deaths; sudden infant deaths, (sleep related) and injuries also contribute.
Proportion of Causes of Infant Death in Ohio (2016)
Infant Mortality is defined by The Centers for Disease Control as the death of a living baby before his/her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is an estimate of the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.
- The infant mortality rate directly reflects maternal and infant health AND the health of the community they live in.
- In 2018 Ohio’s infant mortality rate improved to 6.9, short of the 2020 Healthy People goal of 6.0; and Ohio still ranks among the states with the highest infant death rates.
- 938 babies died in 2018. A high disparity ratio continues with white rates of 5.4 and 553 deaths, while Black babies died three times more often, with 339 deaths and a rate of 13.9.
- Why should Black babies die at 2-3 times the rate of White babies?
- Moms2B dedicates its program to eliminating this disparity and to helping all pregnant women deliver healthy babies that live to celebrate their first birthdays.
- Over the past five years, our Franklin County infant mortality rate declined for all babies; while Cuyahoga and Hamilton Counties did not see comparable improvements as shown below.
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