INFANT MORTALITY

The infant mortality indicator refers to deaths of infants under one year of age. The number and rate of infant mortality are calculated per 1,000 live births per year.

The infant mortality rate is a widely-used indicator of societal health because it is associated with maternal health, quality of and access to medical care, socioeconomic conditions and public health practices. Improvements in the infant mortality rate may reflect progress in medical technology, hygiene and sanitation systems, economic well-being and the availability and use of both preventive and clinical health services.1 Despite the overall declines in infant mortality since 2002, there remain significant disparities in the rates among Hispanics in Orange County, which remain higher than the overall county rate. In the past, these disparities had been only partially explained by factors such as adequacy and quality of prenatal care.

• In 2015, there were 114 infant deaths in Orange County.

• The infant mortality rate was 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 2015, a 43.8% decrease since 2006. This is lower than California’s rate of 4.42 and the United States’ rate of 5.9.3

• Leading causes of infant mortality were maternal causes4 (28.0%), other conditions of the perinatal period (23.0%), all other causes (19.0%) and congenital anomalies (birth defects) (16.0%).

• In 2015, there were eight infant deaths associated with bed-sharing for which the cause of death was classified as undetermined or asphyxia. These deaths may be included in the broad category of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), which are included in “all other causes”.

• Disparities persist. Infant mortality rates (per 1,000 live births) were highest among Hispanic infants at 5.0, followed by White and Asian infants, both at 1.8.

Rate per 1,000 Live Births Suffering Infant Mortality

Orange County and California, 2006 to 2015

• Orange County

• California

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency

Rate per 1,000 Live Births Suffering Infant Mortality, by Race and Ethnicity

• Hispanic

• White

• Asian

Note: Rates based on less than five deaths are unstable and therefore should be interpreted with caution. Black infant mortality rates are not included because the relatively low numbers of Black infant births and deaths in Orange County yield unreliable statistics for annual comparison.

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency

Percent of Infant Deaths, by Cause, 2015

Note: Maternal Causes includes causes such as hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, malpresentation, placenta previa, alcohol/drug abuse, or other complications of labor and delivery. Sources: Orange County Health Care Agency, Orange County Coroner Division