Examining Infant Mortality Disparities Among Ethnicities

Objective: African American women have the highest infant mortality rate (IMR) in the United States and it nearly doubles that of other ethnicities i.e. Whites, Native American, and even Latinas, the most uninsured population. The purpose of this study was to investigate why health disparities exist between different ethnicities when it comes to infant mortality rates.

Methods: We used data from the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and performed crosstabulations for the purposes of statistical analysis.

Results: Analyses of data from the BRFSS showed that there are several variables, when examining differences amongst ethnicities, which show significance (determined by the Pearson's Chi-Square P-value). Some variables of interest, which are also key determinants to pregnancy outcomes, were: mental health (p-value .000), blood pressure level (.031), smoking (.017), marital status (.000), employment status (.000), and emotional support (.000).

Conclusion: Based on the results obtained from the study, it is shown that there are differences in maternal behaviors and social statuses that may explain disparities in infant mortality among different ethnicities. The limitations of available databases to study this topic are also addressed.