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The lowest birth-weight infants and the US infant mortality rate: NCHS 1983 linked birth/infant death data

M D Overpeck1, H J Hoffman, K Prager

  • 1National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.

American Journal of Public Health
|March 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW), under 750g, represent 0.3% of births but cause 25% of infant deaths. Preventing ELBW deaths would significantly lower infant mortality rates and racial disparities.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Public Health
  • Perinatology

Background:

  • Infant mortality remains a significant public health concern.
  • Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants face disproportionately high mortality risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the impact of ELBW infant mortality on overall infant mortality rates.
  • To quantify the potential reduction in infant mortality and racial disparities if ELBW deaths were prevented.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the National Center for Health Statistics Linked Birth and Infant Death Data Set (1983 birth cohort).
  • Calculated the proportion of infant deaths attributable to ELBW infants.
  • Modeled the effect of preventing ELBW deaths on infant mortality rates and Black/White mortality differentials.

Main Results:

  • Infants weighing less than 750g (ELBW) constituted 0.3% of births but accounted for 25% of first-year deaths and 41% of first-week deaths.
  • Preventing ELBW infant deaths could reduce the overall infant mortality rate from 10.9 to 8.3 per 1000 live births.
  • Such interventions could decrease the Black/White infant mortality differential by 25%.

Conclusions:

  • ELBW infants represent a critical subgroup driving infant mortality.
  • Targeted interventions for ELBW infants hold substantial potential for improving overall infant survival and reducing racial health inequities.

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