Factors that affect African American infant mortality in Sacramento County

Abstract

Infants in the African American community are dying at an elevated rate. This is an alarming fact for the researchers who chose this particular topic to promote knowledge on the causes of infant mortality among African Americans. An African American infant is two times more likely than an infant of any other ethnicity to die within their first year of life (Chima, 2000). The researchers used the California Black Infant Health Program- Sacramento County’s database, for data collection. There are significant relationships between infant mortality and parent’s socioeconomic status: employment, income, neighborhoods and marital status. Many programs nationwide and statewide are trying to address this problem.