U.S. 30th in Global Infant Mortality

[manu1959]

Where do we rank in teen pregnancy and drug addiction? There's your answer.

no shit.....you can't make stupid people smart....

 

[manu1959]

kinda wonder why they never have stats on how many babies and infants have been saved by our oh so crappy medical system here in the us???

300,000,000.....

 

[AllieBaba]

This is ridiculous bullshit that is spewed by the progressives every few days. It makes it onto this board every couple of months.

We have no idea where we stand in the world because the world doesn't maintain records the same way we do. The world doesn't report as we do.

So it's a bogus comparison.

 

[toomuchtime_]

for those of you who think this country has the best health care blah blah blah


reality check:


U.S. 30th in Global Infant Mortality - ABC News

"In 2005, the latest year that the international ranking is available for, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel," the NCHS, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the report.

You seem to be suggesting that our relatively high infant mortality rate is the result of shortcomings in our health care system, but if this is true, it would have to be the result of poor access to prenatal and infant care medical services or poor quality of prenatal or infant care medical services or a lower utilization rate of these services when they are available, but while our health care systems in this country have some shortcomings, we do have universal access to prenatal and infant care medical services and no one has suggested that the quality of medical care delivered in the US is inferior to that of other wealthy countries, so if this statistic is related to our health care system in any way at all, it must mean we simply have a lower utilization rate of available services, we go to the doctor less often, than other wealthy countries, and that is a cultural issue that is not addressed by any of the reforms that have been adopted by other countries or that are being discussed in our current debate.

In fact, to my knowledge there are no studies that demonstrate a connection between any of the national mortality statistics and the kinds of health care delivery statistics the various wealthy countries have. The debate we are having in this country is not about access to health care - we already have universal access to health care although without insurance the cost may sometimes be very high - or about the quality of health care available - nearly everyone concedes medical care in the US is of very high quality - but about how much it costs and who should pay for it.

 

[Emma]

Once again, for the slow and the brain dead. There is no uniform method of reporting between the Countries. Our death rate appears higher in some areas because we count EVERYONE that dies. With babies that means all the premature births that in other countries do not even get counted.

Heh.

I knew someone would come up with this one.

-------

Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation, and the recent stagnation (since 2000) in the U.S. infant mortality rate has generated concern among researchers and policy makers. The percentage of preterm births in the United States has risen 36% since 1984 (1). In this report we compare infant mortality rates between the United States and Europe. We also compare two factors that determine the infant mortality rate—gestational age-specific infant mortality rates and the percentage of preterm births. U.S. data are from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set (2,3), and European data for 2004 are from the recently published European Perinatal Health Report (4). We also examine requirements for reporting a live birth among countries to assess the possible effect of reporting differences on infant mortality data.

The report (comparing the US with European countries):

Products - Data Briefs - Number 23 - November, 2009

And to head off those who claim the US ranks so low because of reporting differences:

The U.S. infant mortality rate was still higher than for most European countries when births at less than 22 weeks of gestation were excluded.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db23_Fig2.png

Summary
In 2005, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel. There are some differences among countries in the reporting of very small infants who may die soon after birth. However, it appears unlikely that differences in reporting are the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking. In 2005, 22 countries had infant mortality rates of 5.0 or below. One would have to assume that these countries did not report more than one-third of their infant deaths for their infant mortality rates to equal or exceed the U.S. rate. This level of underreporting appears unlikely for most developed countries.

The United States compares favorably with Europe in the survival of infants born preterm. Infant mortality rates for preterm infants are lower in the United States than in most European countries. However, infant mortality rates for infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more are generally higher in the United States than in European countries.

The primary reason for the United States’ higher infant mortality rate when compared with Europe is the United States’ much higher percentage of preterm births. In 2004, 1 in 8 infants born in the United States were born preterm, compared with 1 in 18 in Ireland and Finland. Preterm infants have much higher rates of death or disability than infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more (2-4, 6), so the United States’ higher percentage of preterm births has a large effect on infant mortality rates. If the United States had the same gestational age distribution of births as Sweden, the U.S. infant mortality rate (excluding births at less than 22 weeks of gestation) would go from 5.8 to 3.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 33% decline. These data suggest that preterm birth prevention is crucial to lowering the U.S. infant mortality rate.

 

[Diuretic]

Also, the US is responsible for more medical innovation than the rest of the world.

http://www.weworkforhealth.org/uploads/Innovation_FAQ.pdf

There is a reason why people from across the world flock to the US for treatment - if they can afford it.

Across the world the wealthy are grateful.

What about the millions of the worlds poorest? Because they benefit too, idiot.

Who developed Aids treatment?

Huge numbers of ordinary people - across the world - are alive today because of US medical innovation. That doesn't suit your agenda but it doesn't change fact.

Please, waving the flag and rah-rahing over a country's medical research is a bit over the top. I'm grateful for any medical research which benefits us, no matter where it comes from. The procedure that saved my life was invented in Switzerland but frankly I couldn't give a stuff where it was invented, I'm just glad it was.

My remark about the wealthy went over your head. You claimed that people are flocking to the US for treatment. Yes, in their private 747s. Get it now?

 

[Diuretic]

Cognitive dissonance.

Public health experts look at infant mortality in calculating the quality of a country's healthcare system. The United States is often ranked behind other industrialized countries, in part because of the infant mortality rates.

Perhaps it might be more useful to ask why rather than dismiss the evidence in an offhanded manner.

Perhaps it might be useful to question the premise.

It could be useful if it was done dispassionately. I'm afraid the chances of that happening here are a bit low, the flags and bunting are out already.

 

[Diuretic]

Jeeze. I wonder how many infants and newborns are saved every year. I sure don't see any stats on that.

It's probably possible to find that number by subtracting the deaths from the total number of reported births, that might do it.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Bones, we (US) report all infant deaths that occur after a live birth. Other countries wait for a period of time before assigning them live birth status so that their infant mortality rates compared to ours are not comparable on the same basis. This in addition to premature births which go un reported elsewhere. I read this in the WSJ back a couple of weeks.

Who told you that , Sean Hannity ?
OK WSJ same thing.

I posted a couple of news sources that basically said the same thing

 

[Political Junky]

Jeeze. I wonder how many infants and newborns are saved every year. I sure don't see any stats on that.

Wow, just absorb that con logic.

 

[AllieBaba]

Well at least it's honest.

 

[Toro]

Once again, for the slow and the brain dead. There is no uniform method of reporting between the Countries. Our death rate appears higher in some areas because we count EVERYONE that dies. With babies that means all the premature births that in other countries do not even get counted.

Heh.

I knew someone would come up with this one.

-------

Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation, and the recent stagnation (since 2000) in the U.S. infant mortality rate has generated concern among researchers and policy makers. The percentage of preterm births in the United States has risen 36% since 1984 (1). In this report we compare infant mortality rates between the United States and Europe. We also compare two factors that determine the infant mortality rate—gestational age-specific infant mortality rates and the percentage of preterm births. U.S. data are from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set (2,3), and European data for 2004 are from the recently published European Perinatal Health Report (4). We also examine requirements for reporting a live birth among countries to assess the possible effect of reporting differences on infant mortality data.

The report (comparing the US with European countries):

Products - Data Briefs - Number 23 - November, 2009

And to head off those who claim the US ranks so low because of reporting differences:

The U.S. infant mortality rate was still higher than for most European countries when births at less than 22 weeks of gestation were excluded.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db23_Fig2.png

Summary
In 2005, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel. There are some differences among countries in the reporting of very small infants who may die soon after birth. However, it appears unlikely that differences in reporting are the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking. In 2005, 22 countries had infant mortality rates of 5.0 or below. One would have to assume that these countries did not report more than one-third of their infant deaths for their infant mortality rates to equal or exceed the U.S. rate. This level of underreporting appears unlikely for most developed countries.

The United States compares favorably with Europe in the survival of infants born preterm. Infant mortality rates for preterm infants are lower in the United States than in most European countries. However, infant mortality rates for infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more are generally higher in the United States than in European countries.

The primary reason for the United States’ higher infant mortality rate when compared with Europe is the United States’ much higher percentage of preterm births. In 2004, 1 in 8 infants born in the United States were born preterm, compared with 1 in 18 in Ireland and Finland. Preterm infants have much higher rates of death or disability than infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more (2-4, 6), so the United States’ higher percentage of preterm births has a large effect on infant mortality rates. If the United States had the same gestational age distribution of births as Sweden, the U.S. infant mortality rate (excluding births at less than 22 weeks of gestation) would go from 5.8 to 3.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 33% decline. These data suggest that preterm birth prevention is crucial to lowering the U.S. infant mortality rate.

Does anyone have an answer for this?

 

[waltky]

Child mortality rates drop...

UN: Global Child Mortality Rates Show Steep Drop
September 08, 2015 — Global mortality rates for children under five have fallen by more than half since 1990, when the Millennium Development Goals for addressing effects of poverty were established, a U.N. interagency group reported Wednesday.

Despite the huge success, the group's report said most countries still missed the MDG target of reducing child mortality by two-thirds. In 1990, 12.7 million children under five died from largely preventable diseases. The U.N. said that fewer than 6 million children die yearly now, or 16,000 per day. While this is significant progress, health agencies said much more needs to be done to save lives.

The report noted that children are most at risk during the first month of life, when 45 percent of all under-5 deaths happen. It said 1 million infants die the day they are born, and nearly 2 million die in the first week of life. Flavia Bustreo, a senior World Health Organization official, told VOA that 10 sub-Saharan African countries have met the MDG target of cutting under-5 child mortality rates by two-thirds. Nevertheless, she said, Africa continues to lag behind the rest of the world.

The highest rates of child mortality continue to be found in sub-Saharan Africa, though there has been progress in the region.

The sub-Saharan region "has the highest child mortality rate and [is] where the progress is still required the most," Bustreo said. "The second region where that progress is still required is South Asia.” Bustreo said the wealth of a country has less to do with bringing down child mortality than its political will and actions. She noted that Angola is a middle-income country, yet has the highest under-5 child mortality rate in the world because it has not invested in child health.

She added that one of the poorest countries in the world, Ethiopia, has cut child deaths by two-thirds by prioritizing child health. The report said about 62 of the world’s countries have met the MDG target to reduce under-5 mortality by two-thirds. Another 74 countries have cut deaths by at least half. It noted that the leading causes of child mortality include premature birth, pneumonia, complications during labor and delivery, diarrhea, sepsis and malaria.

UN: Global Child Mortality Rates Show Steep Drop

 

[Sun Devil 92]

for those of you who think this country has the best health care blah blah blah


reality check:


U.S. 30th in Global Infant Mortality - ABC News

"In 2005, the latest year that the international ranking is available for, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel," the NCHS, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the report.

We do have the best health care system in the world.

Not everyone has access to it, nor should they.

First, your thread link does not take me to anything.

Second, unless this breaks out the measurment differences, this is nothing but a canard.

 

[Sun Devil 92]

Once again, for the slow and the brain dead. There is no uniform method of reporting between the Countries. Our death rate appears higher in some areas because we count EVERYONE that dies. With babies that means all the premature births that in other countries do not even get counted.

Heh.

I knew someone would come up with this one.

-------

Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation, and the recent stagnation (since 2000) in the U.S. infant mortality rate has generated concern among researchers and policy makers. The percentage of preterm births in the United States has risen 36% since 1984 (1). In this report we compare infant mortality rates between the United States and Europe. We also compare two factors that determine the infant mortality rate—gestational age-specific infant mortality rates and the percentage of preterm births. U.S. data are from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set (2,3), and European data for 2004 are from the recently published European Perinatal Health Report (4). We also examine requirements for reporting a live birth among countries to assess the possible effect of reporting differences on infant mortality data.

The report (comparing the US with European countries):

Products - Data Briefs - Number 23 - November, 2009

And to head off those who claim the US ranks so low because of reporting differences:

The U.S. infant mortality rate was still higher than for most European countries when births at less than 22 weeks of gestation were excluded.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db23_Fig2.png

Summary
In 2005, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel. There are some differences among countries in the reporting of very small infants who may die soon after birth. However, it appears unlikely that differences in reporting are the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking. In 2005, 22 countries had infant mortality rates of 5.0 or below. One would have to assume that these countries did not report more than one-third of their infant deaths for their infant mortality rates to equal or exceed the U.S. rate. This level of underreporting appears unlikely for most developed countries.

The United States compares favorably with Europe in the survival of infants born preterm. Infant mortality rates for preterm infants are lower in the United States than in most European countries. However, infant mortality rates for infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more are generally higher in the United States than in European countries.

The primary reason for the United States’ higher infant mortality rate when compared with Europe is the United States’ much higher percentage of preterm births. In 2004, 1 in 8 infants born in the United States were born preterm, compared with 1 in 18 in Ireland and Finland. Preterm infants have much higher rates of death or disability than infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more (2-4, 6), so the United States’ higher percentage of preterm births has a large effect on infant mortality rates. If the United States had the same gestational age distribution of births as Sweden, the U.S. infant mortality rate (excluding births at less than 22 weeks of gestation) would go from 5.8 to 3.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 33% decline. These data suggest that preterm birth prevention is crucial to lowering the U.S. infant mortality rate.

Does anyone have an answer for this?

What do you mean by answer ?

Do we know why we have so many pre-term births ?

I'd like to know that one.

 

[Arianrhod]

Do we know why we have so many pre-term births ?

I'd like to know that one.

Not that difficult to find out:

Premature Labor


Smoking
Being very overweight or underweight before pregnancy
Not getting good prenatal care
Drinking alcohol or using street drugs during pregnancy
Having health conditions, such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, or infections
Being pregnant with a baby that has certain birth defects
Being pregnant with a baby from in vitro fertilization
Being pregnant with twins or other multiples
A family or personal history of premature labor
Getting pregnant too soon after having a baby

There are also reasons such as fetal distress where a doctor may induce labor prior to 37 weeks.

 

[Arianrhod]

Not everyone has access to it, nor should they.

Because -?

 

[Sun Devil 92]

Do we know why we have so many pre-term births ?

I'd like to know that one.

Not that difficult to find out:

Premature Labor


Smoking
Being very overweight or underweight before pregnancy
Not getting good prenatal care
Drinking alcohol or using street drugs during pregnancy
Having health conditions, such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, or infections
Being pregnant with a baby that has certain birth defects
Being pregnant with a baby from in vitro fertilization
Being pregnant with twins or other multiples
A family or personal history of premature labor
Getting pregnant too soon after having a baby

There are also reasons such as fetal distress where a doctor may induce labor prior to 37 weeks.

I understand that there are reasons.

My question should have read:

Why do we have more than Europe.

Do we have statistics on this ?

 

[Arianrhod]

Do we know why we have so many pre-term births ?

I'd like to know that one.

Not that difficult to find out:

Premature Labor


Smoking
Being very overweight or underweight before pregnancy
Not getting good prenatal care
Drinking alcohol or using street drugs during pregnancy
Having health conditions, such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, or infections
Being pregnant with a baby that has certain birth defects
Being pregnant with a baby from in vitro fertilization
Being pregnant with twins or other multiples
A family or personal history of premature labor
Getting pregnant too soon after having a baby

There are also reasons such as fetal distress where a doctor may induce labor prior to 37 weeks.

I understand that there are reasons.

My question should have read:

Why do we have more than Europe.

Do we have statistics on this ?

If you consult the original article that's referenced in the OP, yes, there are statistics.

But the data were collected by the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db23.htm

Are they on the "Government Can't Be Trusted" list? It's so hard to keep track.