title: Racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality in the United States: the role of gestational age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the association among gestational age (GA) at birth, timing of death, and risk status of the pregnancy and racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality rate in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized U.S. 2000 to 2004 birth cohort-linked birth and infant death data restricted to nonanomalous singleton live births. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were fit to evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality while adjusting for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with whites, blacks had a higher adjusted infant mortality rate (IMR) (risk ratio [RR] 1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.91, 2.01), and Hispanics had a lower adjusted IMR (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.76, 0.82). When categorized by GA, at 24 to 31 weeks, the adjusted early neonatal mortality (ENM) is significantly lower for black than whites, similar at 32 to 36 weeks, and at 37 weeks or more, blacks have significantly higher ENM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality in the United States persist and vary across GA. These disparities may largely be driven by the excess post-neonatal deaths among blacks.
authors.affiliation: Center for Urban Population Health, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA. chen25@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Han-Yang
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Suneet P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Nicole C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Rankins
authors.forename: Cande V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Ananth
authors.forename: Danish S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vintzileos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000208:ethnology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult