PROGRAMS:
AFRICAN INFANT MORTALITY
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African American infant mortality and morbidity
is a critical problem that exists across the
nation, California and Los Angeles. Finding
indicate that the problem is multi-faceted and
include medical, psycho-social, environmental
and economic causes.
Scope of the Problem
Pregnancy outcomes for African Americans are
consistently worse than for others. African
American babies have twice the risk of being
born with low birth weight and very low birth
weights. Birth weight is a significant predictor
of infant survival. Survival increases as birth
weight increases. Twice as many African American
babies will not live to see their first
birthday, much of which is due to pre-maturity
and low birth weight.
Causes of Infant
Mortality
The causes of infant mortality are highest for
every cause of infant death except congenital
abnormalities. Contributing factors include:
Solutions
Because the problems associated with infant
deaths are linked to our health care system and
socio-economic conditions, effective programs
that provide interventions to focus beyond the
traditional medical/clinical models are
necessary if we are to reduce infant mortality.
A comprehensive approach that integrates social,
clinical, and economic components of the infant
mortality problem should include:
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