- A new report analyzes 2005-2015 data from US National Vital Statistics System
- It shows infant mortality rates have dropped 15% over the last decade
- However, progress has plateaued - and even reversed - among black babies
- The figures show 4,000 more black babies die than white babies in the US
- Mortality rate for black babies increased from 2014-15 as is decreased for whites
More than 4,000 black babies could be saved if they had the same healthcare as white infants, a new report reveals.
Infant mortality rates in America have plummeted more than 15 percent in 10 years.
However, a new analysis of data from the US National Vital Statistics System reveals this improvement is lopsided.
African American children are 2.5 times more likely to die in their first year than their white peers, the study by Canada's McGill University revealed.
African American children are 2.5 times more likely to die in their first year than their white peers, the study by Canada's McGill University revealed. Pictured: a graph from the study
The authors estimate that 60 percent of black infant deaths are preventable, and would not occur in white communities.
While infant deaths have decreased among all races, the study shows that in recent years the progress for saving black lives has slowed.
The infant mortality rate for black infants decreased from 14.3 to 11.6 per 1,000 births from 2005 to 2012, then plateaued.
It then increased from 11.4 to 11.7 per 1,000 births from 2014 to 2015.
Between 2005 and 2011, deaths from short gestation/low birthweight decreased for black infants but have plateaued in recent years.
Among white infants, the mortality rate decreased from 5.7 to 4.8 per 1,000 births from 2005 to 2015.
The rates of death due to maternal complications among black and white infants decreased from 2005 to 2015.
However, deaths rates related to sudden infant death syndrome and congenital malformations increased for black infants between 2014 and 2015.
'The sustained progress in reducing infant mortality among black infants since 2005 has stalled in the past few years,' the authors write in the report.
'This has led to increases in the absolute inequality in infant mortality between black and white infants during the past three years.
'Interventions to further reduce the rate of preterm birth among black infants appear the most promising option for reducing black infant mortality and the absolute inequality between black and white infants.'