"The health of mothers, infants, and children is of critical importance, both as a reflection of the current health status of a large segment of the U.S. population and as a predictor of the health of the next generation.

Infant mortality is an important measure of a nation's health and a worldwide indicator of health status and social well-being. As of 1995, the U.S. infant mortality rates ranked 25th among industrialized nations. [National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Health, United States, 1999. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999.] In the past decade, critical measures of increased risk of infant death, such as new cases of low birth weight (LBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW) actually have increased in the United States. In addition, the disparity in infant mortality rates between whites and specific racial and ethnic groups (especially African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Puerto Ricans) persists. Although the overall infant mortality rate has reached record low levels, the rate for African Americans remains twice that of whites. [Ventura, S.J.; Anderson, R.N.; Martin, J.A.; et al. Births and deaths: Preliminary data for 1997. National Vital Statistics Report 47(4):1-42, 1999.]

The following table shows the Healthy People 2010 Objective for the mortality outcomes:

Mortality Outcome	2010 Objective
Neonatal Mortality	2.9 per 1,000
Perinatal Mortality	4.5 per 1,000
Postneonatal Mortality	1.2 per 1,000
Infant Mortality	4.5 per 1,000
Source: http://web.health.gov/healthypeople/Document/HTML/Volume2/16MICH.htm

The California County Profile Reports include information on infant, perinatal, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality.

Definitions

For the Healthy People 2010 Objectives, neonatal mortality rate is defined as the number of deaths at less than 28 days of age divided by the number of all live births multiplied by 1,000. Live births with a birth weight of less than 500 grams are excluded.

The Healthy People 2010 Objectives define perinatal deaths as fetal deaths at 28 weeks or more of gestation or deaths until 7 days of age. In the California County Profile Reports all live births and fetal deaths with birth weights of less than 500 grams are excluded. For the California County Profile Reports, the perinatal mortality rate is defined as the number of fetal or neonatal deaths at 28 weeks of gestation to seven days after birth with a birth weight of 500 grams or more divided by the number of all births at 28 weeks of gestation or more and with a birth weight of at least 500 grams multiplied by 1,000.

The postneonatal mortality rate is defined as the number of deaths at age 28 days to 365 days of age divided by the number of all live births that survived to 27 days of age multiplied by 1,000. Live births with a birth weight of less than 500 grams are excluded.

The infant mortality rate is defined as the number of deaths within 365 days of age divided by the number of all live births multiplied by 1,000. Live births with a birth weight of less than 500 grams are excluded. Neonatal and postneonatal deaths combined constitute infant deaths.

Tables and Figures

Number of Neonatal Deaths and Neonatal Mortality Rate by Race/Ethnicity, California and Alpine County, 2004

Race/Ethnicity	Alpine County		California
Race/Ethnicity	N	per 1000	N	per 1000
Hispanic	0	N/A	716	2.6
Non-Hispanic White	0	0.0	343	2.1
Non-Hispanic Black	0	N/A	132	4.6
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	0	N/A	118	1.8
Non-Hispanic Other Race	0	0.0	71	4.1
All	0	0.0	1,380	2.5