Infant Mortality in the US: Progress & Disparities - Essay Sample

Introduction

Infant mortality is one of the essential factors that showcase the overall health of a country. In the United States of America, Infant mortality rates have consistently been high when it is compared with other countries. There also have been disparities that range from ethnic-racial groups, with most of them varying between the babies born by the white women and babies born by the black women. (Klaus 2019) Although there is significant progress that has been made in the United States in regards to the infant mortality rates, there is still much to be done considering that in 2017, approximately 22,000 infant deaths were reported according to the Disease control centers. This paper, therefore, explores the infant mortality rates in the United States of America and some of the contributing factors.

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What is the topic of the paper, and why is this topic important?

The topic of this paper is Infant mortality rate in the United States of America and contributing factors which is important because it is able to highlight why a large number of infant mortality are still reported up to this century and yet most of the developed countries like for instance the U.S.A which are considered to have a sound health care system.

What are the authors trying to find out?

The authors are trying to find out what could be the reason and cause of high infant mortality rates in the United States of America.

What research methods do the authors use in their research?

Descriptive and interpretation of data. The result of this method that it has been able to identify that about 22,335 babies die in the United States every year.

Research Questions

• What are the contributing factors to the infant mortality rates?
• Why is the United States of America reporting high infant mortality rates?

Contributing factors of infant mortality rates in the United States of America.

Over the past decades, infant mortality rates in the United States have changed somewhat. In 1980, for instance, pregnancy complications, accidents, RDS (respiratory distress syndrome were some of the top causes of the infant mortality rates. However, due to the development of vaccines that have been used to effectively treat RDS. (MacDorman & Gregory 2015) Deaths that that are related to this cause have significantly reduced over time. The following are the most common causes of infant mortality rate in the United States of America.

1. Low birth rates and preterm births
2. Birth defects
3. Pregnancy complications.
4. SIDS (Sudden Infants Death Syndrome)
5. Accidents.

Possible Solutions

In order to reduce the infant mortality rate, it is important to consider the following strategies:

• Minimizing maternal obesity
• Discouraging pregnant mothers from smoking or consume alcohol.
• Maximizing the use of prenatal care.
• Ensuring that the preconception health for all women is improved.
• Considering the increase of minimum wage.

Summarize what the authors discovered in their research. What were the results?

The authors discovered that the United States has the highest number of infant mortality rates when it is compared with other countries globally. They also found out that there is a significant number when it comes to perinatal mortality, which has contributed to the high number of death that the country is reporting every year.

Summarize what the authors discovered in their research. What were the results?

The authors discovered that the United States of America is reporting a high infant mortality rate, and the results are, for instance, is due to the high preterm rate that the country is experiencing. Also, birth weight is critical when it comes to the infant mortality rate because some of the babies are born with a very low weight.

Discuss what these findings mean. What do the authors conclude about their results?

These findings mean that infant mortality remains to be a challenge that is contributing to death that is reported every year. What can explain this is that unlike in the other countries, in the United States, premature babies are counted as stillbirths, hence the essence of the high number being reported. The authors conclude that although the number of infant mortality is lower than what used to be in the past decades. Therefore, there is a need to focus in this area to ensure that the number is reduced and thus to secure the future of the coming generation.

What do you think about this article personally? What did you learn by reading this article?

The article is quite impressive since it is able to highlight some of the causes of infant mortality rate, and from reading this, I have learned that infants are dying in huge numbers, which should not be the case. These babies are important to society, and therefore there is a need to ensure that the solution is found.

What is the purpose of the research described in the article?

The purpose of the research is to showcase some of the contributing factors of the high infant mortality rate that has been reported in the United States of America

Conclusion

In conclusion, the infant mortality rate still remains to be a challenge in the United States of America, and it is contributing to the high number of deaths that are reported annually. The medical researchers, therefore, in collaboration with the government of the United States, should partner to ensure that they come up with some of the ways of dealing with the major contributing factors, which will finally lead to the decline in infant mortality rates reported.

References

Klaus, A. (2019). Every Child a Lion: The Origins of Maternal and Infant Health Policy in the US and France. Cornell University Press.

MacDorman, M. F., & Gregory, E. C. (2015). Fetal and perinatal mortality: The United States, 2013.