U.S. Infant Mortality Trends from Linked Birth and Death Records, 2000-2006

Linked birth and infant death records from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System, compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics. The data indicates the U.S. infant mortality rate did not decline from 2000 to 2005, with a preliminary 2% decline suggested for 2005-2006. It highlights significant disparities, such as the rate for non-Hispanic black women being 2.4 times that for non-Hispanic white women.

Use Cases

• Analyzing trends in U.S. infant mortality rates based on data from 2000 to 2006
• Investigating racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality based on rates for non-Hispanic black, white, Puerto Rican, and American Indian or Alaska Native women
• Studying the relationship between preterm birth and infant mortality based on the described lack of decline from 2000 to 2005
• Comparing U.S. infant mortality rates with those of other developed countries based on the described international gap

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative National Vital Statistics System, specifically the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set
• Description provides specific rates and comparisons, such as the 2.4 times higher rate for non-Hispanic black women compared to non-Hispanic white women
• Includes a long-term historical context, noting the U.S. rate declined from approximately 100 per 1,000 live births in 1900 to 6.89 in 2000

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified

Provenance

Source

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. National Vital Statistics System

Collection Method

Administrative records from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set and Preliminary Mortality Data File

Time Range

Primary analysis from 2000 to 2006, with historical context back to 1900

Geography

United States