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B. Infant Mortality
INFANT MORTALITY
Infant mortality rate is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday, which is an important indicator of the overall health of a community. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the infant mortality rate is a crude indicator of not only community health status, but also poverty and socioeconomic status levels that provide context on the overall availability and quality of local health services.
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Between 2007 and 2016, the infant mortality rate in Orange County decreased by 64.3%. 16 The Orange County infant mortality rate (3.1 deaths per 1,000) is lower than that of California (4.4 deaths per 1,000) and the national objective (6.0 deaths per1,000).
Even with declines in infant mortality, Orange County sees significant disparities ethnically and racially. The Hispanic population’s infant mortality rate is 3.8 deaths per1,000 which is higher than the Orange County rate of 3.1 deaths per 1,000. The White population has the second highest (2.4 deaths per 1,000) and the Asian/Pacific Islander population ranks lowest with 2.1 deaths per 1,000. Despite this fluctuation, all races and ethnicities in Orange County ranked better than the California average (4.4 deaths per 1,000) and Healthy People 2020 national objective (6.0 deaths per 1,000).
In the 24th Annual Report on Conditions of Children in Orange County (2018), the leading causes of infant mortality in Orange County were: 1. Congenital anomalies (birth defects): 33.7%; 2. Maternal causes: 25.6%; 3. Other conditions of perinatal period: 18.7%; 4. All other causes: 9.4%; 5. Short gestation/low birth weight: 9.3%; and 6. Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS): 1.2%.
2019 Infant Mortality Rate Per 1,000 Population Age Adjusted
Infant Mortality Orange County
Above/Below:
California National Objective California
National Objective
All Races 3.1 ● ● 4.4 6.0
Asian/ Pacific Islander 2.1 ● ● 3.2 6.0
African American n/a* - - 9.8 6.0
Hispanic 3.8 ● ● 4.4 6.0
White 2.4 ● ● 3.6 6.0
Source: California Department of Public Health * Rates are deemed unreliable when based on fewer than 20 data elements
16 Orange County Children’s Partnership (2019). The 24th Annual report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County [Report].
