Title: TA Project Tracks Infant Mortality Trends in Florida
Author:
Section/SPIG: Maternal and Child Health
Issue Date:
Like many states, Florida has found that the ability to collect, track, and analyze health outcome data at the local level is becoming more critical to addressing the challenge of an increasing infant mortality rate. The state continues to experience increases in both low birth weight rates and infant mortality rates, and the most recent data (2003) show that the infant mortality rate remained at 7.5 per 1,000.
Local level analysis is key to understanding the root causes of these trends. But there continues to be vast differences in the local level capacity for data analysis. While some counties have epidemiologists with time dedicated specifically to maternal and child health, others have insufficient resources to obtain even the most basic data support.
To address this problem, staff members from the infant, maternal, and reproductive health unit of the Florida Department of Health worked in collaboration over the past year with three state and local collaborative teams focused on increasing local data and analytical capacity to address infant mortality and the related contributing risk factors. Each team covers five Florida communities that were selected on criteria developed to identify target areas based on rising trends in infant mortality. The membership on each team includes:
- A representative of the local Healthy Start Coalition from each county.
- A representative from the local county health department in each county.
- The state health office Healthy Start contract manager for each county
- The state health office maternal and child health quality improvement liaison for each county.
- A staff member of the state health office data and evaluation team.
- A CDC-assigned MCH medical epidemiologist.
Although the work of the teams was interrupted by hurricane activity in Florida during the Fall of 2004, many communities were able to complete local level analysis to help identify trends in infant mortality. The teams just completed a training focused on cause of death trend analysis and the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping in analysis of maternal and child health outcomes.
For more information, contact Terrye Bradley, MSW, Chief, Bureau of Family and Community Health, Florida Department of Health, <Terrye_Bradley@doh.state.fl.us>.