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In 2004, 27,936 infants died before their first
birthday, representing an infant mortality rate of 6.8 deaths
per 1,000 live births. The leading cause of infant mortality
was congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal
abnormalities, which accounted for 20 percent of infant
deaths.
The infant mortality rate declined from
the 1960s into this century, but increased slightly between
2001 and 2002. This was largely due to an increase in the
percentage of infants born weighing less than 750 grams,
reasons for which include a rise in both preterm and multiple
births. The rapid decline in infant mortality that began
in the mid-1960s slowed among both Blacks and Whites during
the 1980s. Major advances, including the approval of synthetic
surfactants and the recommendation that infants be placed
on their backs when sleeping, may have contributed to a
renewed decline during the 1990s.
In 2004, the mortality rate among non-Hispanic
Black infants was 14.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. This
is more than twice the rate among non-Hispanic White infants
(5.7 per 1,000 live births). Although the trend in infant
mortality rates among both Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites
has generally been one of decline throughout the last century,
the proportional discrepancy in rates between the two races
remains largely unchanged.
The Maternal and Child Health Block Grant
and the MCHB’s Healthy Start Program provide health and
support services to pregnancy women and infants with the
goal of improving pregnancy outcomes.
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Chart: U.S. Mortality Rates Among Infants, by Maternal
Race/Ethnicity: 1983-2004
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