Special to Iredell Free News
Despite efforts to combat infant mortality, North Carolina’s 2022 infant mortality rate mirrored that of 2021, remaining 6.8 deaths per 1,000 births.
Iredell County’s infant mortality rate — 6.2 deaths per 1,000 births — was slightly below the state average for 2022. There were 13 infant deaths reported in Iredell in 2022.
The latest data underscores ongoing challenges in maternal and child health, with prematurity/low birthweight and birth defects continuing as leading causes of infant mortality. The provisional infant mortality rate for the U.S. in 2022 was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 births, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
North Carolina’s struggle with infant mortality is further compounded by racial and ethnic disparities, which persist despite various initiatives aimed at addressing them. Black infants in North Carolina experience mortality rates more than double those of their white counterparts. The disparity ratio of death rates among Black infants compared to white infants increased from 2.37 in 2021 to 2.73 in 2022, demonstrating the inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes.
In Iredell County, from 2018 to 2022, there were 63 infant deaths. During that time period, the mortality rate for Black infants in Iredell County was 14.3 deaths per 1,000 births — compared to 5.5 deaths per 1,000 births for white infants.
The Iredell County Health Department works to prevent infant deaths by providing prenatal care, education, nutrition services through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and no-cost car seats installed by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician for our prenatal clients.
While North Carolina continues to make strides in maternal and child health, the persistent nature of the state’s infant mortality rate is a sobering reminder of the work that still lies ahead. Addressing racial and ethnic disparities remains a critical component of the Iredell County Health Department’s efforts and achieving the state’s Healthy NC 2030 goal of a disparity ratio of 1.50 or less is imperative to ensure equitable healthcare access and outcomes for all North Carolinians.
Efforts to combat infant mortality and reduce racial disparities in healthcare outcomes must be multifaceted, encompassing initiatives aimed at improving access to prenatal care, addressing social determinants of health, and promoting community-based interventions, health officials said.