Infant Mortality

IMPROVED AFRICAN AMERICAN BIRTH OUTCOMES

Wisconsin has the highest black infant mortality rate in the United States: 17.6 deaths per 1000 live births per year. Prior to 2002, Dane County's rates were equally as bad. During the period 2002-2007, the county black infant mortality rate declined from 19.4 (1990-2001) to 6.4 deaths per 1000 live births, eliminating the black-white infant mortality gap. However, there are other risk factors affecting birth outcomes where disparities still exist between blacks and whites that should not be ignored.

This development has great local, state and national importance for at least three reasons:

to preserve the gains made in infant survival in Dane County
to better understand contributing factors and to share this knowledge with other communities in Wisconsin where black infant mortality remains a serious problem
to advance national discussion and action on disparities in birth outcomes

For an overview of the birth outcomes data, see Improvement of Birth Outcomes in Dane County (PDF).

Articles about this research appear in MMWR and Newsweek:

Apparent Disappearance of the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap - Dane County, Wisconsin, 1990-2007, Public Health – Madison and Dane County, MMWR, May 29, 2009
A Wonderful Mystery (PDF), Newsweek, October 22, 2009
Trying to Explain a Drop in Infant Mortality (PDF), the New York Times, November 26, 2009

A short documentary, which explores some of the factors that may have an influence on positive birth outcomes, was produced to inform the public and spur conversations that will generate further discussion.

Place Matters: The Decline of Infant Mortality in Dane County, Public Health – Madison and Dane County and Madison City Channel, with support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2009

A recent analysis of infant mortality data in Dane County reported in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Racial Gap in Infant Mortality Rate Returns, Wisconsin State Journal, July 2010

A Healthy Birth Outcomes Coalition (PDF) was formed to focus on aligning efforts across systems and organizations to sustain positive birth outcomes. The first meeting of the Birth Outcomes Coalition took place on November 5, 2009. For more information about Coalition, please contact Daniel Stattleman Scanlan, Public Health Madison and Dane County Nursing Supervisor, 608-243-0404 or e-mail dstattelman-scanlan@publichealthmdc.com.