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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002

An Indian Health Service study being published in a medical journal today confirms an extremely high infant mortality rate among tribes in the northern Plains, with most of the deaths attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The rate of infant deaths among tribes in Iowa, Nebraska and North and South Dakota was more than twice the national average. For some tribes, the rates exceeded 30 per 1,000 live births, a rate four to five times greater than the rest of the country.

The study was requested by the tribal leaders on the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board. It was made public by the IHS earlier this year and published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Get the Story:
Nurse visits reduce SIDS risk among Indians (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 12/4)

Relevant Documents:
Aberdeen Area Report | Fact Sheet: SIDS in Indian Country | Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board Resolution

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Northern Plains tribes see high infant death rate (10/30)
SIDS linked to tobacco use (03/18)
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Indian Country ranks high in deaths (6/27)