169811 Targeting Healthy People's 2010 Goals: Where Do Georgia Infants Stand?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Diana Sturges, MD, MPPM , Department of Health and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University, College of Health and Human Sciences, Statesboro, GA
Laura H. Gunn, PhD , Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Padmini Shankar, PhD, RD , Department of Health and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University, College of Health and Human Sciences, Statesboro, GA
Shrikrishna Shroff, MPH , Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Population-based trends in infant mortality among Georgia Residents between 1995 and 2003 were assessed on characteristics such as race, birth weight, neonatal and post-neonatal periods, and cause of death. A statistical analysis was conducted to show that the Georgia infant mortality rate (IMR) remained constant throughout the study period and averaged 8.67 per 1,000 live births. The analysis revealed racial disparities, with an IMR ranging from 6.03 in white infants to 13.76 in black infants, with less than one percent (0.86%) change, on average, among the differences between black and white mortality rates across the nine-year period. The disparities were also evident in infants with low birth weight (LBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW). Black infants born with LBW (12.9%) and VLBW (9.98%) had more than twice the rate of infant mortality compared to white infants born with LBW (6.64%) and VLBW (1.12%). Mortality in the neonatal period accounted for more than half (67.96%) of all infant deaths and exhibited considerable racial differences. Among all groups, black male neonates had the highest mortality rates. The average neonatal mortality rate across the entire study period was 5.89 (SD=0.20); the average post-neonatal mortality rate across the entire study period was 2.78 (SD=0.22). The five leading causes of death among Georgian infants in descending order were: birth defects, prematurity and low birth weight, Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths (SUID), other perinatal conditions, and respiratory conditions, with racial differences in the ordering. Results were compared to Health People 2010 objectives to identify where Georgia's infants stand.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the trends in IMR in Georgia residents between 1995-2003 2. Recognize race and gender differences in IMR in Georgia residents between 1995-2003 3. List major causes of death for Georgia infants between 1995-2003

Keywords: Infant Mortality, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I had no financial relationship with a commercial entity in the past 12 months and the content of my presentation to colleagues is not affected by any commercial interest
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.