Decrease in infant mortality in New York City after 1989.
OBJECTIVE
This study identified factors contributing to the rapid decline in infant mortality in New York City from 1989 to 1992.


METHODS
Changes in birthweight distributions and in birthweight/age-, cause-, and birthweight/age/cause-specific mortality rates from 1988/89 (before the mortality reduction) to 1990/91 were identified from New York City vital statistics data.


RESULTS
Infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality of very-low-birthweight (< 1500 g) and normal-birthweight infants decreased significantly. The declines were almost entirely due to decreases in birthweight-specific mortality rates, rather than increased birthweights. All races experienced most of these reductions. Mortality decreased significantly for 6 causes of death. These decreases were consistent with the birthweight/age groups experiencing mortality declines.


CONCLUSIONS
Widespread, multiple perinatal and postnatal factors contributed to the decline in infant mortality.
Kalter
H D
HD
Bureau of Maternity Services and Family Planning, New York City Department of Health, NY, USA. hkalter@jhsph.edu
Na
Y
Y
O'Campo
P
P
D001724:Birth Weight; D044383:Black People; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American