BLACK INFANT DEATHS UP CAUSES TO BE PROBED.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LITTLEROCK - An alarming rise in the infant death Noun 1. infant death - sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep cot death, crib death, SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome rate among African- Americans in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley has led to formation of a task force to investigate the reasons and suggest ways to reduce the deaths. The African-American infant mortality rate infant mortality rate n. The ratio of the number of deaths in the first year of life to the number of live births occurring in the same population during the same period of time. in 2002 was 32.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, more than twice the 13.1 rate among African-Americans in Los Angeles County and more than three times the overall Antelope Valley rate of 9.4. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. why it is so high in this particular area; it's way out of the realm of what we would have expected,'' said McKinley Kemp, director of the Black Infant Health Program of the Antelope Valley, a 3-year-old program based in Littlerock that provides support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services for pregnant African-American women. ``The black infant mortality rate has been declining over the years in California, ... so for this particular area to be so high is alarming.'' The task force was created last week at the request of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San and will report back to the Board of Supervisors in two months. ``We feel it's important to form the group to find out why the infant mortality rate has increased to such a high percentage, and to see what we can do,'' said Ressie Roman, Antonovich's health deputy. The task force will examine causes of death and research the care that the women received. ``We know there is a disparity between African-Americans and others in the county,'' said Cynthia Harding, the county's director of maternal, child and adolescent health programs. ``It could be due to a number of factors. Is it due to starting prenatal care prenatal care, n the health care provided the mother and fetus before childbirth. later? Is it due to other kinds of indicators or health practices by the mother? There is a number of things that can affect infant mortality (hardware) infant mortality - It is common lore among hackers (and in the electronics industry at large) that the chances of sudden hardware failure drop off exponentially with a machine's time since first use (that is, until the relatively distant time at which enough mechanical . Right now, we have more questions than answers.'' Kemp said the Antelope Valley's Black Infant Health Program has served about 150 women. The state-funded program is sponsored by Littlerock's First Missionary Baptist Church, a faith-based organization that is contracted by the county to provide services. It is one of five such programs in the county. The other programs are in South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. , Pomona and the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . ``We chose these areas based on looking on birth outcomes; those are our pockets of need,'' Harding said. Overall, infant deaths in the Antelope Valley have more than doubled between 1999 and 2002, with 22 deaths in 1999, 29 in 2000, 43 in 2001 and 52 in 2002, the latest numbers show. Of the 52, 27 were African-American, 15 were Latino, nine were white and one was Asian or Pacific Islander Asian or Pacific Islander Multiculture A person with origins in any of the peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, Pacific Islands–eg China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands and Samoa , records show. The overall Antelope Valley infant death rate has grown from five deaths per 1,000 live births in 1999, to 9.4 in 2001, and 10.6 in 2002. Among African-Americans, the rate has gone from 11 in 1999, to 19 in 2000, 28.4 in 2001, and 32.7 in 2002, records show. Los Angeles County experienced declining infant death rates throughout the 1990s, reaching a low of 4.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 but jumping back up to 5.5 in 2002. The infant death rate among African-Americans in the county has historically been higher than any other racial or ethnic group, and in 2002, it rose to 13.1 per 1,000 live births. In a county report comparing key health indicators by region using 2001 figures, the percent of all live births in the Antelope Valley where the mother received late or no prenatal care was 16.9 percent, higher than the county average of 13.5 percent. The Antelope Valley also had a teen birth rate of 52.1 births per 1,000 live births to mothers 15 to 19 years of age, compared with the county average of 44.4, the report said. The report said African-Americans had the highest proportion of low- birth-weight infants in the county, 12 percent, followed by whites and Asians and Pacific Islanders at 7 percent, and Latinos at 6 percent. Generally, factors in the high African-American infant mortality rate include not getting prenatal care early in the first trimester, premature birth premature birth Birth less than 37 weeks after conception. Infants born as early as 23–24 weeks may survive but many face lifelong disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness). , low birth weight, lack of transportation to get to medical appointments and no child care, Kemp said. ``Quite often, they are dealing with survival issues that are also impacting upon them while they are pregnant,'' Kemp said. ``Infant mortality rate for African-Americans, no matter what their socioeconomic standings are, you will find the problem throughout the entire spectrum. It's not just about poor people. It's a problem in African-American culture.'' Deborah Davenport, Antelope Valley's health officer, said there are issues surrounding access to care. ``You need someplace some·place adv. & n. Somewhere: "I didn't care where I was from so long as it was someplace else" Garrison Keillor. See Usage Note at everyplace. to go,'' Davenport said. ``When people move up there, it's a new and different place, and they are not sure where to get care.'' ``We need to make sure their care is done is a culturally sensitive manner so people feel that their concerns are taken seriously,'' Davenport added. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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