Infant Mortality Rates in the Antelope Valley Decrease for Blacks, Increase for Latinos
Infant mortality rates among blacks in the Antelope Valley have decreased by about 50% from 2002 to 2003, but rates have increased for Latino residents, according to a new report, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The report found that black infant deaths decreased from 32.7 per 1,000 live births in 2002 to 16.5 infant deaths per 1,000 in 2003, while the Latino infant death rate increased from 6.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002 to 11.1 per 1,000 in 2003.
Overall, the infant mortality rate for Los Angeles County was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003, while the overall rate for Antelope Valley residents was 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Cynthia Harding -- the county's director of maternal, child and adolescent health programs -- said that there was not a definitive cause for the decreased infant mortality rates among black residents, but she noted that the county in 2002 increased funding targeted at addressing the issue.
The Antelope Valley Black Infant Health Program, funded in part by Los Angeles County, was launched in 2002 (Maeshiro, Los Angeles Daily News, 8/21).