Babies Born Prematurely in Oklahoma

“Photo” by Arnaud Jaegers is licensed under CC0. In 2014, more than 53,000 babies were born in Oklahoma, putting the state right in the middle at No. 27 for the most number of births in the United States. Nearly 4 million babies were born in the U.S. that year. Unfortunately though, but to be expected, not all of those babies made it. Those babies who died made up the infant mortality rate (IMR). The IMR is defined by the number of deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2013, the IMR for the U.S. overall was 6, which has since lowered to 5.9 today. Oklahoma’s IMR in 2013 was 6.7 but has since risen to 7.4, both of which were among the IMR national average. The Oklahoma State Department of Health recognizes this unfortunate statistic and has found that babies born prematurely are a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. In 2014, 10.3 percent of Oklahoma’s births were premature. In recognition of Infant Mortality Awareness Month last month, OSDH released information on factors that may cause a premature birth (like diabetes and high blood pressure), ways to promote a healthy pregnancy (like remaining tobacco free), and current initiatives OSDH is taking to help prevent premature births. To read more about total number of births and the infant mortality rate in the U.S., please visit the following pages on the Kaiser Family Foundation website: Total Number of Births Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths per 1,000 Live Births) To read more about Oklahoma’s...
Source: Network News - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Oklahoma Public Health Source Type: news