Black infants are over two times more likely to die in their first year of life than white infants. Across major cities in California the gap in birth outcomes is even more pronounced. In Los Angeles black babies are three times more likely than white babies to die in their first year of life. And in San Francisco, one of the wealthiest U.S. cities, black infants died at a rate of 9.6 per 1,000 births in contrast to the white rate of 2.1 deaths. Although the national and statewide death rates have decreased, a disparity persists. We discuss what’s behind this gap and what’s been done to close it.
Guests:
Priska Neely, senior early childhood reporter, KPCC
Brittany Chambers, assistant professor epidemiology and biostatistics, UCSF; research fellow, California Preterm Birth Initiative at UCSF
Related:
Black Infants in the East Bay Are Experiencing Higher Negative Health Outcomes (East Bay Express)
Why Black Women, Infants Lag In Birth Outcomes (NPR)