Listed below are links to charts containing data on infant mortality for 1990-1997 for the state and health. In 1997, Georgia's infant mortality rate was 8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, representing a continued decline in infant mortality and the first year the state's rate has dropped below 9.0. Despite this decline, the relative gap in black-white infant mortality persists, with rates of 13.7 and 6.2 for black and white infants, respectively.

The attached tables include numbers and rates per 1,000 live births for neonatal (birth through 27 days), postneonatal (1 month up to 1 year of age), and infant (birth to 1 year of age) deaths. Data are provided by race for all, white, and black infants. In 1997 there were 8 deaths in infants whose race was neither white nor black. A separate set of tabulations is provided for deaths and births among infants of Hispanic ethnicity. Tabulations by race and Hispanic ethnicity are not mutually exclusive, e.g., Hispanic infants may be included in any race category.

A series of graphs are listed below which provide neonatal, postneonatal, and infant death rates ranked from lowest to highest among districts for all, white, and black infants in 1997. In some instances, these rates are based on small numbers of deaths and thus may be statistically unstable. Rates based on <5 deaths are noted with an asterisk on the graphs. Also, please note that the scale varies among graphs.

To facilitate comparisons of changes in rates over the course of the 1990's among districts, data are provided for summary annual rates for two three-year periods: 1990-1992 and 1995-1997. This grouping minimizes the statistical instability due to small population sizes in some areas.

We have also provided state-wide data for deaths by underlying cause. Over the course of the 1990's, much of the decline in infant mortality has been due to lower rates for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and SIDS. The leading cause of deaths remain congenital anomalies followed by low birthweight/prematurity, although prematurity would predominate if low/birthweight/prematurity and RDS, the predominant respiratory complication of preterm birth, were lumped. Despite the overall decline that has occurred in SIDS during the 1990s, SIDS rates did not decline from 1996 to 1997.

This update was generated from the vital statistics for 1997, which were delayed in becoming available to us. This delay resulted from new data management procedures being instituted by the Health Assessment and Vital Records Sections. These new procedures lessen our dependence on mainframe computing resources and in future years should result in improved standardization and timeliness of vital records data.

Undoubtedly, there are additional tabulations that would be of interest to you. We are currently working with the Health Assessment Section to update the CD-ROMs of vital statistics data previously distributed. These updates will include the 1997 data for births, fetal deaths, induced abortions, and infant deaths. These will be sent to you as soon as possible and will allow you to conduct more detailed analysis of trends in your district.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Unit at 404-657-2588.

Data for 1990-1997 Infant Mortality in Georgia

All of these charts are in pdf format.