See also: “Opportunities for States To Improve Infant Health Outcomes” by Cristina Novoa
The United States is experiencing an infant health crisis, with rates of infant deaths and low-weight births that are higher than those of its peer countries. However, as discussed in an accompanying issue brief, these data conceal significant disparities in infant health outcomes that exist across state and racial and ethnic lines. To help illustrate these disparities in infant health outcomes, the interactive tool below allows users to explore where and for whom the infant health crisis is most severe.
This interactive tool offers a simplified way to explore the most recent available data on two different infant health outcomes—the infant mortality rate and the percentage of infants born at a low birth weight—within states and disaggregates these data by race and ethnicity. Where available, data estimates are shown for five demographic groups: white, Black or African American, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. For each outcome, users can compare two groups in order to see how outcomes differ by race and ethnicity across states. The interface also allows users to compare any group’s outcome with the state average. Please note: The interactive will not display outcomes by race and ethnicity for states where the sample sizes are too small to yield reliable and precise estimates.
Cristina Novoa is a senior policy analyst for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress. Mathew Brady is the data visualization developer at the Center.