INFANT MORTALITY
In 2000, 27,987 infants died before their first birthday.
The preliminary infant mortality rate was 6.9 deaths
per 1,000 live births, representing a statistically
significant decline from 1999.
The rapid decline in infant mortality, which began
in the mid 1960s, slowed for both blacks and whites
during the 1980s. Major advances including the approval
of synthetic surfactants and the recommendation that
infants be placed on their backs when sleeping may
have caused a renewed decline during the 1990s. Based
on preliminary data, between 1999 and 2000, mortality
among black infants decreased 4 percent to 14.0, while
the preliminary rate for whites of 5.7 was not statistically
different from the reported 1999 rate.
The preliminary 2000 infant mortality rate for black
infants was 2.5 times that for white infants. Although
the trend in infant mortality rates among blacks and
whites has been on a continual decline throughout
the 20th century, the proportional discrepancy between
the black and white rates has remained largely unchanged.
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