Black Babies Face Double the Risk of Dying Before Their First Birthday

The U.S. infant mortality rate has fallen over the last two decades, but major disparities remain that carry serious implications for overall health.

In all, more than 22,000 babies died before their first birthday in 2017, at a rate of 5.79 infant deaths per 1,000 births, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That rate is 16% lower than in 2005 – when the country saw its most recent peak in infant mortality – but essentially unchanged from the rate in 2016.

But whose children are most likely to survive until their first birthday varies greatly. The infant mortality rate for black women's babies was 10.97 in 2017 – more than twice the rates among white, Asian and Hispanic women, who saw rates of 4.67, 3.78 and 5.1, respectively – and nearly double the overall rate. Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the infant mortality rate was 9.21.

A mother's socioeconomic status and access to quality health care and nutritious food can have a substantial effect on her baby's health, and public health experts say disparities in infant death rates often reflect broader inequalities.

"In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society," the CDC says.

In 2017, more than a third of infant deaths were tied to preterm birth, when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. While the preterm birth rate has fallen in recent years, it rose between 2015 and 2017, and African American women are more likely to give birth preterm, according to the CDC.

According to the new report, babies born to black women were more than three times as likely to die of a preterm birth-related issue as babies born to white women in 2017. Babies who survive a preterm birth can face problems with breathing, hearing or seeing, as well as developmental delays and other long-term health issues.

"Preventing preterm birth remains a challenge because there are many causes of preterm birth, and because causes may be complex and not always well understood," the CDC says. The agency says pregnant women can help reduce the risk of preterm birth by quitting smoking, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and getting continual prenatal care.

Birth defects, disorders related to preterm birth and low birthweight, pregnancy complications, sudden infant death syndrome and accidental injuries like suffocation were the top causes of infant mortality in 2017, accounting for more than half of deaths.

Disparities in infant mortality weren't solely split by race or ethnicity. Babies born in Mississippi were more than twice as likely as those in Massachusetts to die before their first birthday, for example. And the mortality rate was 89% higher among babies born to teenage mothers than among those born to women in their early 30s, the CDC data show.

Advocates say ensuring women have access to quality health care before, during and after pregnancy could help curb infant and maternal deaths and reduce health disparities. The majority of pregnancy-related deaths are thought to be preventable, and black women are three to four times as likely as white women to die of such issues.

To meaningfully improve the health of babies, the CDC says public health organizations, health care providers, community groups and other partners should work together to "address the social, behavioral, and health risk factors that contribute to infant mortality and affect birth outcomes."