Disparity Infant Mortality Rate

Jacob Marshall
Assignment: Concept paper
EN100
June 9, 2010
Prof. Muhammad

Disparity Infant Mortality Rate

      According to the Central Intelligence Agency, “the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year”, is how one would define the infant mortality rate.   The infant mortality rate is more than just a statistic.   Dr. Chance, Professor with the Faculty of Medicine, says “the infant mortality rate (IMR) is regarded as an important indicator of population health in a country. It is associated with several health determinants, such as maternal health, access to high-quality health care and socioeconomic well-being”. The disparity in the infant mortality rate is how much the difference from one group’s rate to another group’s rate. The difference could be a vast assortment of things, but for this essay will focus on three factors, which are race, socioeconomic status, and education.
Franklin Goza, head of the department of Sociology at Bowling Green State University states “The most important conclusion . . . is that in spite of some very remarkable declines in infant mortality at all class levels since 1960, there continues to be a very clear and pronounced inverse association between income status and infant mortality”. This shows that the less money a person has the more likely hood that they will have a child perish within the first year of life. Having money helps provide for pre and post natal care.   Also, when a family has money they are more likely to have the ability to purchase healthy foods and live in an environment that would not be as harmful as the inner city.   Goza says it best, “in a society where income inequality has been increasing and where numerous social programs are being cut back this represents an especially difficult challenge, but it is a challenge that must be met if we are ever to achieve greater parity in infant mortality across income lines”.
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