Infant Mortality

Infant Mortality measures the rate at which babies born alive in the region of St. Louis die before their first birthday. According to the Missouri Department of Health, the most common causes of infant mortality include birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, maternal complications of pregnancy, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and infant injuries. Over the last time period for which data is available, 354 of 36,932 babies born alive died before their first birthday in the region. That means that for every 1,000 live births in the region, 7 babies die before their first birthday.

Infant Mortality Indicator Scores

City of
St. Louis

33

St. Louis
County

32

St. Charles
County

34

St. Clair
County

38

Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Social Services, MOPHIMS, 2006-2016; Illinois Department of Public Health, IQuery, 2010-2017

What does this score mean?

A score of 100 represents racial equity, meaning there are no racial disparities in the outcomes between black and white populations. The lower the Equity Score, the greater the disparity.

For Infant Mortality, a score of 100 – a score reflecting racial equity – would mean black babies are equally as likely to live past their first birthday as white babies. It is important to note that for this indicator, equity is not our only goal; we also want to improve outcomes for all.

WHAT DOES THIS ANALYSIS MEAN?

Black babies in the region are about three times as likely to die before their first birthday as white babies. Disaggregated by county, these chances are about 2.33 times as likely in St. Clair; over 3.33 times as likely in St. Louis County; over three times as likely in the City of St. Louis; and around three times as likely in St. Charles County. The infant mortality rate for black families is 13 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to 4.37 deaths per 1,000 live births for white families. Over the last time period, 1,614 babies died before their first birthday, 55% of whom were black.

If infant mortality rates were equitable, the number of black babies who die before their first birthday per year would decrease by about:

  • 117 in the City of St. Louis,
  • 22 in St. Charles County,
  • 76 in St. Clair County, and
  • 382 in St. Louis County.

Why Does Infant Mortality Matter?

According to the nonprofit Generate Health‘s calculations, the babies who die before their first birthday in the St. Louis region could have filled 15 Kindergarten classes every year. Infant Mortality was chosen as an indicator because it highlights the disadvantages black residents have from the second they are born. For babies to be born healthier, their mothers need to be provided sufficient care before, during, and after pregnancy. Birth outcomes are influenced by the mother’s health over the course of her lifetime. Compared to white infants, black infants experience higher rates of nearly every risk factor that contributes to infant mortality, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects.

Which Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission’s report are linked with this indicator?

While the Ferguson Commission’s report did not explicitly call out infant mortality, its calls to action related to child and maternal health include:

Why are there racial disparities in infant mortality in St. Louis?

Infant mortality is a complex issue that is affected by more than just health care. Infant mortality is seen as the canary in the coal mine indicating that something is not right in our society. We live in a region with world-class medicine, but black babies are three times more likely to die than white babies. After hearing from several community members, FLOURISH St. Louis prioritized these contributing factors: Infant Health, Behavioral Health, Prenatal Care, Transportation, Housing, and Health Communications and Navigation. There are many more contributing factors to infant mortality.

 

What can St. Louis do to reduce racial disparities in infant mortality?

FLOURISH St. Louis encourages people to learn about the disparities that exist in our community and raise awareness. Individuals can keep current about what is happening by following FLOURISH on social media or signing up for their newsletter. Individuals are also invited to join one of their action teams. Each of the action teams has developed a variety of strategies to address racial disparities in infant mortality.

As a region, FLOURISH has been named responsible for the infant mortality component of the Community Health Improvement Plan. Strategies, such as asking all maternity and children’s hospitals in the region to become safe sleep certified through Cribs 4 Kids, have been identified as regional goals.

What initiatives are currently underway to reduce racial disparities in infant mortality in St. Louis?

FLOURISH St. Louis is a collective impact effort made up of several organizations throughout the region. Everyone has a piece to the puzzle, and we must work together to solve it. Current action team efforts include:

  • Behavioral Health – Expanding the Perinatal Behavioral Health Initiative and the adoption of universal screening protocols for perinatal and postpartum women; training the behavioral health workforce in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed leadership, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, bereavement, and other topics.
  • Infant Health – Coordinating alignment around the Portable Crib network; assisting hospitals to become Safe Sleep Certified by Cribs 4 Kids.
  • FLOURISH More – Developing a Tenants’ Bill of Rights.
  • Health Communications and Navigation – Working with the HEAL partnership to bring the maternal and child health lens to community health workers; researching and developing improvements to central resource management systems such as United Way 2-1-1.

How can I learn more about this issue?

Infant mortality was addressed in the Seeing Inequity: Visualizing Racial Disparities in St. Louis infographic series presented by Forward Through Ferguson.

FLOURISH St. Louis is an infant mortality reduction initiative funded and supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health. In May 2017, Generate Health, the backbone organization behind FLOURISH St. Louis, issued a 10-year report on the state of infant health called the St. Louis Fetal-Infant Mortality Review. in addition, they produced a needs assessment of preconception health in St. Louis called Women’s Health Before and Between Pregnancy.

Infant Mortality Data

Infant deaths per 1,000, 2010 – 2017

 AllBlackWhiteDisparity RatioEquity Score
Infant Deaths
23217438
Live Births
23,61712,8658,544
Infant Death Rate per 1,000 Live Births
9.813.54.43.068 to 133

Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Social Services, MOPHIMS, 2006 – 2016

Infant deaths per 1,000, 2006 – 2016

 AllBlackWhiteDisparity RatioEquity Score
Infant Deaths
908547312
Live Births
130,39941,99579,156
Infant Death Rate per 1,000 Live Births
6.9013.003.903.333 to 132

Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Social Services, MOPHIMS, 2006 – 2016

Infant deaths per 1,000, 2006 – 2016

 AllBlackWhiteDisparity RatioEquity Score
Infant Deaths
25433216
Live Births
50,3792,41245,188
Infant Death Rate per 1,000 Live Births
5.0413.704.702.915 to 134

Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Social Services, MOPHIMS, 2006 – 2016

Infant deaths per 1,000, 2010 – 2017

 AllBlackWhiteDisparity RatioEquity Score
Infant Deaths
22013379
Live Births
27,08610,59414,645
Infant Death Rate per 1,000 Live Births
8.1212.555.392.328 to 138

Data Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, IQuery, 2010 – 2017