Infant Mortality in North Carolina
Causes and risk factors
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In North Carolina, the leading causes of infant deaths
in 2010 were:
- Prematurity and low birthweight (birth before 37 weeks
of gestation and birthweight less than 5 ½ pounds, respectively)
- Birth defects
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
(from  North
Carolina State Center for Health Statistics)
A variety of conditions originating in the perinatal period (around the period of birth) and respiratory
distress (often associated with prematurity) are also major contributors to infant death.
Risk Factors for Infant Mortality
Research has identified some key risk factors contributing
to high-risk pregnancies and infant deaths:
- Previous premature or low birthweight baby
- Less than optimal health before a woman becomes pregnant
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy
- Inadequate nutrition and insufficient intake of folic
acid (a B vitamin) before and during pregnancy
- Using street drugs and alcohol during pregnancy
- Baby's exposure to secondhand smoke after birth
- Infant sleeping on his stomach
- Close spacing between pregnancies
- Infections - including reproductive tract infections,
sexually transmitted diseases and periodontal (oral) infections
during pregnancy
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Last updated: November 2011 |
