Baltimore City Infant Mortality: Leading Causes, Risk Factors, and Policy Solutions

1 Baltimore City Infant Mortality: Leading Causes, Risk Factors, and Policy Solutions Introduction The infant mortality rate (IMR) is an important health statistic used by health agencies, economists, government officials, media, and many others as a key indicator of a nation, region, or city’s overall health and standard of living. In addition, the causes of infant mortality contribute, per-person, more “years-of-potential-life-lost” [YPLL] (Gardner 1990) than mortality in any other age group. Baltimore’s IMR is particularly troubling. Baltimore had an almost 60 percent higher IMR than the Maryland state average in 2000 (MDHMH-Vital Statistics 2000), a 70 percent higher rate than US average in 2000 (MacDorman 2002), and possibly even an estimated 80-90 percent higher rate than nationwide averages this year (Ding Intern 2003). While the United States overall IMR is hitting an all-time low (Yee 2003; Mathews 2003), Baltimore City in 2003 is currently experiencing an increase in infant mortality (Dambita 2003). Additionally, it can be inferred and estimated that Baltimore has a higher IMR than even third world countries with GDP per capita of under $500 (Megawangi 1993). Highlighted with concern even by city Health Commissioner Peter Beilenson (Dambita 2003), an upturn in infant mortality is a very big dilemma in Baltimore. Thus, it is important to not only identify major causes and risk factors of infant mortality, but also