INFANT MORTALITY IN BIRMINGHAM

INFANT MORTALITY IN BIRMINGHAM Exploring Birmingham’s High Rates and Possible Drivers 1. SCOPING THE PROBLEM Birmingham has one of the highest Infant...
Author: Silas Fleming
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INFANT MORTALITY IN BIRMINGHAM Exploring Birmingham’s High Rates and Possible Drivers 1.

SCOPING THE PROBLEM Birmingham has one of the highest Infant Mortality rates in England (Table 1.1) and this causes considerable concern locally. The Birmingham Health & Wellbeing Board has prioritised efforts to demonstrate the local drivers and develop a strategic approach to reduce the rate. Table 1.1:

NATIONAL & BIRMINGHAM INFANT MORTALITY RATES (2008-10) Birmingham 7.3

England & Wales Worst Average Best 8 4.6 2.2

Each death in this age group, whatever the age of the child, is a tragic experience for each family. Understanding the causes and drivers of these events and identifying any potential for reducing the likelihood of these events is important. Deaths at this age increase the number of years of life lost, a measure of premature mortality in communities, and reduces the Life Expectancy of the citizens of Birmingham. 2.

LOCAL TRENDS IN INFANT MORTALITY Infant Mortality Rates are calculated from deaths in the first year of life (up to 52 weeks). For the past 14 years Birmingham has had a rate that is persistently higher than the England rate. Over the same time period there has been a reduction in the rate, in line with the national reduction (Figure 2.1). Figure 2.1:

Infant Deaths by Time Period for Birmingham and England (3 Year Rolling Averages)

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There are three distinct time phases of death in Infancy: i. ii. iii.

Early Neonatal Deaths (Birth to 1 week) Late Neonatal Deaths (2-4 weeks) Post Neonatal Deaths (5-52 Weeks)

The period contributing most to the local difference in Infant Mortality rates is the Early Neonatal (4.5/1000 in 2009-11). Late Neonatal deaths (1.1/1000 in 2009-11) make a much smaller contribution. Post Neonatal Death rates (1.9/1000 in 2009-11) are between these two (Figures 2.2 & 2.3). Figure 2.2:

Early neonatal mortality rates by time period for Birmingham and England (3 year rolling averages)

Figure 2.3:

Post and late neonatal mortality rates by time period for Birmingham and England (3 year rolling averages)

Regression analysis shows that gestation is strongly correlated to infant mortality (p

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