Infant mortality drops to lowest in state's history in 2006

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

infant mortality drops to lowest in state's history in 2006, while record numbers of babies are born

http://www.nchealthystart.org/downloads2/2006%20infant%20mortalitypr_final9_5_07.pdf

raleigh-north carolina's 2006 infant mortality rate was 8.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006, the lowest in the state's history and an 8 percent drop from 8.8 in 2004 and 2005. at the same time, there was a record number of births in the state-127,646 babies were born to north carolina residents in 2006, nearly 4 percent more than in 2005.

the state's minority infant mortality rate, which has shown declines for four of the past five years, dropped to an all-time low of 13.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006. the white infant mortality rate declined in 2006 for the first time in four years to 6.0; the 2005 white rate was 6.4. in spite of the fact that the minority rate dropped 8.7 percent compared to a 6.3 percent drop in the white rate, racial disparities in infant mortality persist. minorities continue to

experience an infant mortality rate more than double that of the white population, an historical trend.

of the 127,646 live births last year, 71,285 (nearly 56 percent) were white non-hispanic; 29,626 (just over 23 percent) were black non-hispanic; 21,202 (almost 17 percent) were hispanic; 1,697 (a little more than 1 percent) were american indian non-hispanic; and 3,836 (3 percent) were other of races/ethnicities....