OBJECTIVES This report investigates the reasons for the United States' high infant mortality rate when compared with European countries. Specifically, the report measures the impact on infant mortality differences of two major factors: the percentage of preterm births and gestational age-specific infant mortality rates. METHODS Infant mortality and preterm birth data are compared between the ...

Rates of infant mortality are sensitive indicators of a broad range of factors affecting children’s health. As such, infant mortality is the “tip of the iceberg” of child health problems, and changes in infant mortality are a signal of factors affecting child health more broadly. In addition to its role as a general gauge of child health, infant mortality itself represents an important health p...

OBJECTIVES This report presents 2009 period infant mortality statistics from the linked birth/infant death data set (linked file) by maternal and infant characteristics. The linked file differs from the mortality file, which is based entirely on death certificate data. METHODS Descriptive tabulations of data are presented and interpreted. RESULTS The infant mortality rate in the United Stat...