Just-released state data from the Ohio Department of Health for 2013 show a small dip in infant deaths compared with the year before, and two consecutive years in which the rate has dropped. However, Ohio’s 2013 overall infant mortality rate still remains higher than the national average by 23 percent. The racial disparity in infant deaths was substantial, with black infants dying at more than twice the rate of white infants (“Baby-death numbers decline a bit in Ohio but still top national average,” Columbus Dispatch, July 27, 2015).
The data reveals that sleep-related deaths have surpassed birth defects to become the second-leading cause of death for babies, after prematurity. Babies who sleep on their backs, by themselves and in a crib free of suffocation hazards — blankets, pillows and toys — are safest.
The state’s report highlighted work to improve infant health, including reducing scheduled early deliveries without medical reason and safe-sleep promotion. It also pointed to budgetary items that aim to improve care in high-risk neighborhoods, help women quit smoking and encourage groups of women to support one another through pregnancy. “It’s a challenge to move infant mortality because there are so many factors,” said Dr. Teresa Long, Columbus health commissioner.