200 Black Fetal and Infant Deaths Could Be Prevented Each Year

Key findings from the Illinois Infant Mortality Report (released in December 2020) include:

• In 2018, the infant mortality rate was 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, slightly higher than the U.S. national rate of 5.7 per 1,000.
• In 2018, Illinois ranked 36th out of 50 states in infant mortality.
• The overall infant mortality rate decreased 22% from 2000 to 2018, but this decline was not equal across racial groups.
  • While the infant mortality rate in Illinois declined among White and Hispanic infants during 2000-2018, it only declined during 2000-2008 for Black infants.
  • Since 2008, the Black infant mortality rate has remained unchanged.
• The leading causes of death for infants in 2018 were: prematurity or fetal malnutrition, congenital disabilities, sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), and complications during pregnancy and delivery.
• Deaths during the first 28 days of life make up about two-thirds of infant deaths.
• The period of risk with the most opportunity to prevent Black fetal/infant deaths and reduce racial disparities is the “maternal health/prematurity” period. Interventions to improve health in this period could target preconception health, perinatal care, and social determinants of health for Black women.
• While SUID rates among infants born to White and Hispanic mothers have remained stable since 2000, the SUID rate among infants born to Black mothers has increased by 38% since 2009.
• If babies of Black women had fetal and infant mortality rates that were the same as the babies of low-risk White women, 212 Black fetal and infant deaths would be prevented each year.

In 2019, NPR reported that losing a baby before their first birthday happens far more often to Black mothers than other women in Illinois. Nearly two-thirds of infant deaths occur during the first month after birth, often from complications from preterm births and preterm labor, a significant contributor to racial disparities in infant mortality.