Date Published: April 10, 2008
Broward health and social service agencies, in an effort to bring under control the disproportionate numbers of black babies who die each year in Broward County, will unveil some grim statistics Friday to business and civic leaders.
Before their first birthday, black babies die at three times the rate of white babies, and black fetuses at 20 weeks of gestation until birth die at twice the white rate.
The results, taken from a pediatric autopsy of Broward infant and fetal deaths, and other health-related information on black infant mortality, will be presented by a coalition that includes hospitals, health officials and social service agencies during a ''Call to Action'' summit of legislators and business leaders.
''The only way the black infant mortality issue will be resolved is to get a buy in'' from political, business and civic leaders, said Ellen Anderson, director of development for Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County.
The forum begins 9 a.m. at the Broward County African American Research Library and Cultural Center on Sistrunk Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
Dr. John Livengood, director of epidemiology at the Broward Health Department, said that overall infant mortality has gone down about 13 percent, but at a lower rate for black babies.
''The racial disparity hasn't improved,'' Livengood said.
Part of the discussion will be on the results of a three-year pediatric autopsy study on the causes of fetal and infant mortality. Researchers studied 335 deaths that occurred in Broward County from September 2003 to March 2007. There were a total of 204 fetal deaths and 131 infant deaths during that time period.
Health care experts are trying to zero in on why a baby dies and to prevent it from happening again.
According to the report, the leading cause of all fetal deaths was placental abnormalities, followed by perinatal asphyxia, infection, maternal medical issues and congenital anomalies.
Infections were the leading cause of infant death, followed by SIDS, accidents, congenital anomalies and complications of prematurity.
Researchers concluded that more than 40 percent of those deaths were preventable.
Among the prevention measures, Anderson said, pregnant women must have proper nutrition, access to early prenatal care and avoid obesity. Also, parents should avoid placing baby in bed their bed or with siblings, to prevent rolling over on the child.
The Call to Action and the Pediatric Autopsy project dovetails with a similar program, the Black Infant Health Practice Initiative, launched in January by the state to review black infant and fetal deaths in eight Florida counties, including Broward and Miami-Dade.
The chief aims of the Black Infant Health Practice Initiative are to review community conditions and stress factors that contribute to higher incidences of still births or fetal and infant deaths.
The participating counties have nonwhite infant mortality rates at least 1.75 times greater than the white rate. The counties, a mix of urban and rural, include Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Gadsen, Hillsborough, Putnam, Orange and Duval. Gadsen and Hillsborough have the highest black mortality rate -- four times that of white infants.
Contact Andrea Robinson at arobinson@MiamiHerald.com.
Andrea Robinson
Miami Herald
April 10, 2008