American Indian infants are more than twice as likely than white infants to die before their first birthday, The Rapid City Journal reports.
Of the 66 counties in the state, 13 had infant mortality rates greater than 10 per 1,000. All the counties are located within or near reservations.
The infant mortality rate among American Indians is 12.9 per 1,000. That's more than twice the rate for non-Indians, at 6.5 per 1,000. Nationally, the infant mortality rate is 6.8 per 1,000.
Risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol use and inadequate medical care. To better understand the issue, all nine tribes are participating in a three-year study of Indian mothers and their newborn children.
Get the Story:Mortality rate shows disparity (The Rapid City Journal 2/6) $rl Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center - http://www.aatchb.org/epi Related Stories:
South Dakota tribes study infant mortality (7/17)
Study finds high infant mortality rate among Natives (11/10)
