Racial/ethnic disparities in neonatal mortality--United States, 1989-2001

Neonatal mortality (i.e., death at age <28 days) accounts for approximately two thirds of infant deaths in the United States. During 1989-2001, neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) declined; however, 2002 preliminary data indicated an increase. To characterize trends in neonatal mortality by gestational age and race/ethnicity, CDC analyzed linked birth/infant death data sets for 1989--1991 and 1995-2001 (2002 linked data were not available). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that 1) extremely preterm infants (i.e., born at <28 weeks' gestation) accounted for 49%-58% of neonatal deaths during 1989-2001 and 2) racial/ethnic disparities persisted despite NMR declines among infants of all gestational ages. Public health practitioners, researchers, and clinicians can use these results to determine the efficacy of prevention programs at a national level and consider new studies and programs aimed at reducing preterm births and NMR disparities among racial/ethnic populations.