Program Data | Aurora Healthier Beginnings

The following information provides recent national and local data to support the rationale as to why the Aurora Health Baby Initiative has been convened to address the fetal and infant mortality disparity in the African American/Black population in Aurora, CO:

National Data

Source: National Vital Statistics Reports, volume 57, number 8. Fetal and Perinatal Mortality, United States 2005

The United States is ranked 26th or last with a 6.8% Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) compared to other developed countries

2005 data, United States fetal and perinatal mortality rates for African American/Black vs. non-Hispanic white

Fetal mortality rate is 2.3 times higher in the black population (4.79/1,000 live births vs. 1.13/1,000 live births)
Neonatal mortality rate is nearly 2.5 times higher in the black population (9.13/1,000 live births vs. 3.71/1,000 live births

Fetal mortality = fetal death during pregnancy ≥ 20 weeks gestation

Neonatal mortality= newborn death ≤ 28 days old

6,000 African American/Black infant deaths a year could be prevented if the IMR of African Americans was lowered to the level of whites.

Arapahoe County, Colorado Data

Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Health Statistics and Vital Records.

Download the PPOR Statistics (pdf)

Aurora, Colorado statistics very closely mirror the national and Arapahoe County
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

African American/Black IMR is 3.4 times higher than non-Hispanic whites

Low Birth Weight (LBW) rates for African American/Black

2006 statistics: 1.7 times higher or 15.1% for African American/Black, vs. 8.7% for non-Hispanic white
Healthy People 2010 goal is 5%
Some improvement has been made in LBW rates for both groups from 2003 to 2006:

	African American/ Black	Non-hispanic White
2003	16.0%	9.1%
2006	15.1%	8.7%

Preterm Delivery (PTD) for African American/Black

2006 statistics: 1.3 times higher or 14.6% for African American/Black -vs. 10.6% for non-Hispanic white
Healthy People 2010 goal is 7.6%

An increase in PTD in both groups has occurred from 2003 to 2006.

	African American/Black	Non-hispanic White
2003	13.5%	9.4%
2006	14.6%	10.6%

Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR):

Methods

Mapping of fetal & infant deaths by birth weight & age at death
Compares a “Target Population” (City of Aurora, CO) to a “Reference Population” (State of Colorado) and reports “Excess” in rates in specific categories
Determines categories with excess mortality-a key step toward the identification of risk factors and ultimately the development of specific interventions to reduce infant mortality

Results

Phase I PPOR analysis demonstrated ongoing fetal-infant mortality disparities within the African American community in Aurora, Colorado.
For years 2003 to 2007, the fetal-infant mortality rate for Blacks in Aurora, Colorado was twice that of the White, Colorado reference population.
The majority of excess fetal-infant mortality for Blacks in Aurora occurred within the Maternal Health/Prematurity (60%) and Infant Care (36%) PPOR categories.
Download the PPOR Statistics (pdf document)