SIDS: New Zealand: Poverty and infant mortality

MARYANNE TWENTYMAN :  28/04/2011

The number of Waikato children admitted to hospital with low-income related medical conditions is on the rise with the situation described as "shocking and dire" by one Hamilton budget adviser.
Kit Buckley runs a Mum's Matter group once a week through Christian social services agency Te Whanau Putahi and said the report's findings come as no surprise.
"The biggest problem is that parents have no money left for things like good nutrition and healthcare so conditions aren't being picked up soon enough – or in some cases until it's too late," she said.
The nine-year study into the Health of Children and Young People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities was commissioned by Waikato District Health Board in conjunction with the Paediatric Society of New Zealand.
The study is based on data recorded between 2000 and 2009 into children and young people in the Waikato who had accessed secondary health services – such as hospitals.
It showed that in April last year 24,743 Waikato children and young people were reliant on a benefit or benefit recipient and that while hospital admissions and deaths had declined for that group between 2000 and 2007, the trend had risen since then, with the largest increases being Maori and Pacific children.
The study is the third in a series of reports into the health of Waikato children and young people published by Elizabeth Craig, director of New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service from the Dunedin School of Medicine.
Waikato DHB senior portfolio manager of planning and funding Ruth Rhodes said the report was invaluable.
"The information is specific to the Waikato, and it helps us not only better serve Waikato families and children, but it supports us in talking to service providers," Mrs Rhodes said.
The data showed that Waikato children had lower rates for hospital admissions for those with congenital anomalies at birth (such as Down syndrome and cardiovascular anomalies), developmental delays, epilepsy and autism, compared to other regions.
Admissions for cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis were similar to the national average.
The leading causes of death for Waikato infants were extreme prematurity, sudden infant death syndrome and congenital anomalies –- all similar to the national average.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/4936782/Poor-kids-in-hospital-more-often

SIDS: Kansas: Causes of high infant mortality

April. 22, 2011
Surely a “culture-of-life state,” as Gov. Sam Brownback called Kansas last week, should not be content with a disproportionately high rate of infant deaths. Yet Kansas sees 7.9 such deaths for every 1,000 live births, or about 300 a year, and the state’s rate among African-Americans is the worst in the nation.With more awareness, study and focus on access to prenatal and postnatal health care, Kansas can and will do better. Sedgwick County needs to sharply improve, too, because from 2005 through 2009 it led the state with an 8.2 rate and saw an alarming 21.9 percent of the state’s infant deaths, or a total 332.

The problem has crept up on Kansas over the past decade, as the state has failed to share in improvements in infant-mortality rates nationally. The rate among African-Americans in Kansas increased by 32 percent from 2000 to 2009, to about 19 deaths for every 1,000 live births.
The reasons for Kansas’ numbers are as complex as the causes of infant mortality, which include birth defects, preterm and low-weight babies, sudden infant death syndrome and maternal complications of pregnancy.
To its credit, the state set up the Kansas Blue Ribbon Panel on Infant Mortality in 2009. The panel has been looking at risk factors, plotting strategies, building local partnerships and stepping up awareness. This week it hosted events in Wichita and Topeka featuring Tonya Lewis Lee, who is director Spike Lee’s wife and the leader of a national infant-mortality awareness campaign. She will appear twice today in Kansas City, Kan.
The panel’s efforts to gather data were set back when the state was turned down for a $153,000 federal grant in January. But Christy Schunn, executive director of the SIDS Network of Kansas, is collecting crucial information about infant deaths in the Wichita area. Her group’s next Step Up for SIDS 5K Run and Memory Walk will be held May 7 (register at the website www.sidsks.org or call 316-682-1301).
The countermeasures start with education — about everything from prenatal vitamins to safe newborn sleep positions to optimal birth spacing. Most important, women need to get good prenatal care early in their pregnancy and other kinds of support.
Brownback’s spokeswoman told the Kansas Health Institute News Service that the administration would partner with the panel’s “experts in order to decrease public health risks.” That’s good to hear. Though his “road map for Kansas” didn’t include reducing the state’s infant-mortality rate, Brownback needs to make this cause his own.

http://www.kansas.com/2011/04/22/1818246/more-first-birthdays.html#ixzz1LCZkbm2G

SIDS: Louisiana: co-sleep death statistics

Loresha Wilson Mar. 5, 2011

There's probably nothing sweeter than the image of a baby drifting off to sleep — be it in your arms or lying next to you. But these innocent moments can turn tragic when you fall asleep with the baby.
Local authorities say that's likely what happened to four babies who died in Shreveport homes in February. The infants, ages 22 days to 8 months, were found unconscious and not breathing after falling asleep next to someone.
The exact cause of each death has yet to be determined, but Caddo Parish Coroner Dr. Todd Thoma says all appear to be instances of co-sleeping. It ultimately resulted in suffocation.
However, detailed investigations are under way in all the deaths.
"This is an unfortunate problem in our community," Thoma said. "It occurs when the infant sleeps in the same bed as their parents. Whether the infant is moved, or the parent rolls over on the baby, it still results in positional asphyxia."
The first baby was found about 2 a.m. Feb. 16 at a residence in the 3500 block of Sumner Street, according to police reports. About two hours later, officers responded to the 1400 block of West 58th Street, where an 8-month-old was found deceased. The third baby died the morning of Feb. 23 at a residence in the 3100 block of West Caperton Street. And about 4 a.m. Feb. 26, a 2-month-old was found dead in the 1400 block of Claiborne Avenue, according to reports.
Criminal charges in these cases are rare, occurring most often when the parent at fault is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When substance abuse is not involved, the deaths are often ruled accidental by police or local district attorney's offices.
"And at this time, we do no suspect foul play," said Sgt. Bill Goodin, spokesman for Shreveport police.
Louisiana has the highest infant mortality rate in the nation — nearly twice the national average, according to Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
One reason this is happening is that some mistakes are being made when it comes to the environment in which children are sleeping. The term "infant mortality" refers to all infant deaths before age one, excluding miscarriages and abortions.
Louisiana had an average of 71 infants die from SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, from 2003 to 2005, according to statistics provided by the Department of Health and Hospitals. During the same three years, the state had an average of 17 infants die of suffocation
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110305/NEWS01/103050323/1060/news01/Shreveport-sees-4-possible-co-sleeping-infant-deaths

SIDS: Orange County's infant mortality rate lowest in 10 years

Linda Shrieves, Orlando Sentinel  January 10, 2011

The number of babies dying before their first birthday dropped in Orange County in 2009 — and the county's infant-mortality rate reached its lowest level in 10 years, according to a county task force.
"One year is not a trend, so we have to be cautious with a single year's statistics, but we are pleased with this year's indicator. Infant mortality is an important measure for the overall health of our community," said Dr. Kevin M. Sherin, director of the Orange County Health Department.
In 2009, the latest year for which data is available, the county's infant-mortality rate was 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2008, the county's infant-mortality rate was 9.1 deaths for every 1,000 live births.
Although Orange County's infant-mortality rate is usually higher than Florida's overall rate, that ratio was reversed in 2009. The state infant-mortality rate was 6.9 deaths per 1,000 births in 2009.
Infant mortality is the number of infant deaths (or babies under 1 year of age) for every 1,000 live births.
At Orange County's Healthy Start Coalition, which is dedicated to improving moms' and babies' health, executive director Linda Sutherland cheered the news.
The 2009 mortality rate, she said, translates into 94 infant deaths in 2009 compared with 150 deaths during 2008. That, say county officials, means that 56 fewer babies died than the previous year.
"Saving one baby is potential for us all," Sutherland said. "You never know what that child could have achieved."
In the U.S., infant-mortality rates are traditionally higher among black babies, who are more than twice as likely to die in their first year as other babies. In 2009, the infant-mortality rate for black babies was 12.2 per 1,000 live births. In 2008, the infant-mortality rate for black babies was 17.8 per 1,000 births.
Experts say several factors contribute to infant mortality, including: late prenatal care; and expectant mothers who are overweight, smoke, abuse drugs, eat poorly or are the victims of domestic violence. Pre-term labor and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome also are culprits.
Sutherland hopes the county's infant-mortality rate dropped because of programs her organization has instituted. For example, Save Our Babies reaches out at churches, nail salons and hair salons in the black community to educate women about maternal health, including the need for folic acid and multivitamins during pregnancy.
"We've also had a huge push on babies sleeping on their backs" to prevent SIDS, she said. And the Healthy Start Coalition has been teaching parents about the dangers of sleeping with their babies — because of an increase in the number of babies suffocated by parents who rolled onto their children in bed.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orange-county-infant-mortality-20110106,0,6195869.story

SIDS: minorities statistics

• Currently, the national infant mortality rate for Black babies is 13.7 per 1,000, compared to a rate of 5.6 per 1000 for White babies, 3.5 per 1000 for Asian babies, and 5.3 to 6 per 1000 for Latino babies.
• Black babies are four times as likely to die as infants due to complications related to low birthweight as compared to non-Hispanic white infants.
• African Americans have 2.3 times the infant mortality rate as non-Hispanic whites
• African Americans had 1.8 times the sudden infant death syndrome mortality rate as non-Hispanic whites.
• College- and graduate-school educated black mothers have a higher infant mortality rate than white moms who didn’t finish high school
• The infant mortality rate for African American mothers with over 13 years of education was almost three times that of non-Hispanic white mothers.
• Black women who get prenatal care in the first trimester have double the infant mortality rate of white mothers with first-trimester care
• Only 17 percent of all U.S. births were to African-American families, but 33 percent of all low-birthweight babies were African-American, according to one report.
• Black women with similar levels of prenatal care as Hispanic women (generally less educated and with lower incomes than blacks) have higher rates of low birth weight, preterm deliveries, and infant mortality.
• According to Dr. Michael Lu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health at UCLA, researchers have found that even when they control for such varied factors as poverty, housing, employment, medical risk, abuse, social support and so on, 90 percent of the differences in birth weight between black and white moms remains unaccounted for. “Most studies have looked at black-white differences during pregnancy, for example, differences in prenatal care utilization or maternal behavior,” he says. “What we’re finding is that these differences really explain very little of the disparities in birth outcomes.”
http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/my-anti-blog-for-infant-mortality-awareness-month/

SIDS: Black infants face triple death rate of others

August 19, 2010
Denise Dador
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, African-American infants in California are more than twice as likely to die during their first year of life compared to infants of other races.
A local organization is trying to change that and they're hoping to get dads more involved in the health of their babies.
A majority of African-American children are born out of wedlock and most are raised by single mothers. The Black Infant Health Program understands how absent fathers can affect the health of their children. So they've developed a strategy to help new dads.
All parents have stress, but in some communities the stress can be even greater. Many African-American families don't survive the added economic, social and emotional burdens. One local program recognizes this need and is reaching out to new moms.
At the Black Infant Health Program in Mission Hills, moms are connected with resources, but most of all they feel relief knowing they're not alone.
0 African-American babies in California are 2 to 3 times more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome than babies of other races.
"Since 1850, the data of infant mortality in the black community has not reduced. It's alarming," said Yodit Abraha, Black Infant Health Program manager for the Mission City Community Network.
Experts believe the cause for the high rates of infant mortality in the black community may be many fold, from economic to social to possibly biological.
"The stressors that African-Americans walk with throughout a whole generation does impact physiological makeup. So it's a lot of stress hormones that are already high in the black community especially in the reproductive age of African-American woman," said Abraha.
The Black Infant Health Program helps families based on their needs. They offer infant care and other parent education seminars, as well as provide emotional and economic support.
"Love your children and love yourself because if you don't love yourself how are you going to love your child and take care of it, and get help. And it's OK to get help," she said.
Due to all the budget cuts, the state recently cut funding to the Black Infant Health Program. But they're staying afloat thanks to last minute help from the First Five Foundation. When that funding runs out, the organization will have to turn to private donors.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=7619630