Infant Mortality and Asians and Pacific Islanders

Among Asian/Pacific Islanders, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the fourth leading cause of infant mortality. The infant mortality rate for Asian/Pacific Islanders was 30% greater for mothers under 20 years old, as compared to mothers, ages 30-34 years old.

At a glance – Infant Mortality Rate:
Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 2004

Asian/Pacific Islander

Non-Hispanic White

All Races

Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White

4.7

5.7

--

0.8

Source: CDC 2007. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2004 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports 55(14). Table 1.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_14.pdf

At a glance – Leading Causes of Infant Mortality:

**Infant deaths and mortality rates for the top 4 leading cause of death for Asians/Pacific Islanders, 2004. (Rates per 100,000 live births)**
Cause of Death (By rank)	# Asian/Pacific Islander Deaths	Asian/Pacific Islander Death Rate	#Non- Hispanic White Deaths	Non- Hispanic White Death Rate	Asian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
(1) Congenital malformations	239	104.3	2,969	129.3	0.8
(2) Low-Birthweight	174	75.9	1,770	77.1	1.0
(3) Maternal complications	69	30.1	739	32.2	0.9
(4) Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)	55	24.0	1,240	54.0	0.4

Source: CDC 2007. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2004 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports 55(14). Table 7.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_14.pdf

At a glance – Prenatal Care:

Prenatal care began during the 1st trimester, 2004

**(% of live births in which mother received prenatal care starting in the 1st trimester)**
Race of Mother	% Received Prenatal Care	Ratio vs. Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic White	88.9	--
Total Asian/Pacific Islander	85.6	1.0

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 7
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

Prenatal care began during the 3rd trimester or mother received no prenatal care, 2004

**(% of live births in which mother received prenatal care starting in the 3rd trimester or did not receive prenatal care at all)**
Race of Mother	% Received Late or No Prenatal Care	Ratio vs. Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic White	2.2	--
Total Asian/Pacific Islander	3.0	1.4

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 7
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

At a glance – Characteristics of Mother:

**Percentage of mothers who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy, 2004**
Race of Mother	% Mothers Who Smoked	Ratio vs. Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic White	13.8	--
Total Asian/Pacific Islander	2.2	0.2

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 12
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

Maternal education, 2004

**% of live births in which mother had less than 12 years of education**
Race of Mother	% Live Births	Ratio vs. Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic White	11.0	--
Total Asian/Pacific Islander	9.3	0.8

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 11
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

**% of live births in which mother had 16 years or more of education**
Race of Mother	% Live Births	Ratio vs. Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic White	37.0	--
Total Asian/Pacific Islander	48.6	1.3

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 11
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

**Infant mortality rates among mothers 20 years of age and over, with less than 12 years education**
Asian American	Non-Hispanic White	Asian American/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
5.7	9.0	0.6

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 20
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

**Infant mortality rates among mothers 20 years of age and over, with over 13 years education**
Asian American	Non-Hispanic White	Asian American/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
3.8	4.1	0.9

Source: CDC 2007. Health United States, 2007. Table 20
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf

Age of mother, 2004

**Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births**
Age of mother	Asian/Pacific Islander	White	Asian/Pacific Islander/White Ratio
Under 20 years	9.8	8.3	1.2
20-24 years	5.5	6.5	0.8
25-29 years	4.3	4.9	0.9
30-34 years	3.9	4.6	0.8
35-39 years	4.4	5.4	0.8
40-54 years	8.3	7.7	1.1

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Content Last Modified: 6/10/2008 1:28:00 PM