Résumé :
|
[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST R0xXW8u5. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Background. International rankings of infant mortality rates have been consistently lower for the US than other industrialized countries, and this ranking has been falling. This study examines the influence of birth registrations among very low birthweight infants on these international rankings. Methods. Birth rates of infants weighing<1500 g reported by Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, the UK and Canada were compared to the rates of infants of this weight born in the US, and these rates were correlated with the infant mortality rates reported by these countries. Also, deaths in the first 24 hours after birth were correlated with the reported mortality rates. Results. Countries with the lowest infant mortality rates tended to have the lowest incidence of births<500 g and of births 500-999 g. When white and black newborns in the US were reported separately, the correlation coefficients were 0.96 and 0.97 for these weights. Conclusion. Differences in birth registration practices for infants weighing<1500 g are primarily responsible for the poor, deteriorating performance by the US in the international rankings of neonatal mortality rates.
|