THE RELATIONSHIP OF DELIVERY METHOD, BIRTH WEIGHT AND RACE ON INFANT MORTALITY [Kennesaw State University]

Abstract

Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths per 1000 births. The U.S. infant mortality rate in 2014 was reported as 5.8 which is very high compared to other countries such as Japan where the rate 2.1. It is known that infant mortality is a huge problem, but the challenge right now is finding ways to solve this issue. My research aims to see what factors influence infant mortality to see how it can be reduced. I also wanted to learn about which groups are most vulnerable to experiencing high infant death rates. The purpose of this research is to find out how factors such as delivery method, birth weight, and race affect infant mortality to determine how these factors lead to the reduction of mortality rates. I wanted to see if there is a preferred delivery method for small infants compared to larger infants. To evaluate this, I analyzed 2007-2016 U.S. infant mortality data from the CDC and created bar charts relating race, birth weight, and delivery method to the death rate. I found out that the vaginal delivery method has the lower death rate compared to the C-section delivery method, that American Indians who were born through C-sections have the highest death rate out of all the other races and delivery methods, that the death rate is lower for small infants when they are delivered through the C-section method and that it is preferable to deliver larger infants through the vaginal method since the death rate would be lower. These results can serve as then beginning of a more comprehensive look into infant mortality.