State of South Dakota's Child: 2017

There was a slight decrease in 2016 from 2015 in the total number of live births in South Dakota, but it was the fifth consecutive year that there were more than 12,000 newborns in the state. Nearly one-quarter of South Dakota's births represent minority populations mirroring what is observed nationally. Infant mortality in South Dakota dropped to its lowest ever rate per 1,000 live births (4.8) in 2016. Fewer births of less than 500 g newborns, increased survival of very low birth weight newborns, and a decrease in deaths due to congenital anomalies contributed to this low mortality rate. Though there is little progress observed in decreasing the trend in rate of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), 2016 brought a decrease in the rate of these deaths from a previous spike in 2015. While positive indicators are observed in the 2016 data, South Dakota's mean mortality rate of 6.6 for 2012-16 is statistically higher than the U.S. rate of 5.8 for 2014. Further, consistent with previous trends, the South Dakota mean 2012-16 mortality rate for minority infants (11.8) was significantly higher than that for white infants (5.1). These observations are discussed with strategies to prevent infant deaths.