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Health Indicator Report of Infant Mortality

The infant mortality rate is an important measure of a nation's health and a worldwide indicator of health status and social well-being. The top four causes of infant mortality in Utah are perinatal conditions (including preterm birth), birth defects, medical conditions of the infant, and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).
{{style color:red NOTE: We are in the process of updating the Utah Small Areas. This graph view depicts the old Small Areas. This graph view will be updated to the new Small Areas soon.}}

Deaths at Under 1 Year of Age per 1,000 Live Births by Utah Small Area, 2010-2015

Notes

Note: Small Area represents Small Area of infant's residence. *Use caution in interpreting, as the estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet UDOH standards for reliability. ^Due to Utah Small Area reclassification, these numbers only include data for 2010-2011. #Due to Utah Small Area reclassification, these numbers only include data for 2012-2015. A description of the Utah Small Areas may be found on IBIS at the following URL: [http://ibis.health.utah.gov/resource/Help.html].

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health
  • Utah Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health

Definition

Number of infants who died before their first birthday (under 365 days), per 1,000 live births.

Numerator

Number of infants who died before their first birthday.

Denominator

Total number of live births.

Other Objectives

Reduce the racial disparity in infant mortality rates. Healthy People 2030 Objective MICH-02 aims to reduce the infant mortality rate to 5.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

How Are We Doing?

The infant mortality rate has declined throughout the past 30 years both locally and nationally. The Utah infant mortality rate in 2022 was 4.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, similar to the 2021 infant mortality rate of 4.7. During 2022, 226 Utah infants died before their first birthday.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

Historically, the Utah infant mortality rate has been lower than the national rate. In 2021 the Utah infant mortality rate was 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, lower than the U.S. rate of 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births (CDC).

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Maternal and Infant Health Program is currently reviewing data to identify modifiable risk factors for infant mortality, developing appropriate interventions, and promoting preconception and interconception health care for all reproductive aged women.

Evidence-based Practices

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services participates in the Utah Women and Newborn Quality Collaborative (UWNQC), a statewide perinatal quality collaborative. This workgroup of clinicians and public health professionals engages in the development and measurement of health care quality indicators and quality improvement projects in the areas of maternal and neonatal health issues.

Available Services

'''Baby Your Baby Hotline:''' 1-800-826-9662[[br]] [https://babyyourbaby.org/][[br]] A resource to answer pregnancy related questions and locate services for the public. [[br]] [[br]] '''Utah Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program:''' [[br]] *[https://wic.utah.gov/ Utah WIC website][[br]] *[https://health.utah.gov/vpms/client/ Utah WIC appointment request][[br]] *[https://wic.utah.gov/locations/ Utah WIC clinic locations][[br]] *Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/p/WIC-Utah-100064714595124/ WIC Utah][[br]] *Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/wic_utah/ @wic_utah] [[br]] WIC provides free nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and supplemental foods to pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, infants, and children up to their 5th birthday who have low to moderate incomes.[[br]] [[br]] '''Power Your Life website:''' [https://mihp.utah.gov/power-your-life][[br]] Public education promoting optimal health prior to pregnancy.[[br]] [[br]] Social media for Power Your Life include:[[br]] *Facebook: [http://www.facebook.com/poweryourlifeut poweryourlifeut][[br]] *Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/Poweryourlifeut @Poweryourlifeut][[br]] [[br]] '''Utah Tobacco Quit Line:''' 1-888-567-8788[[br]][[br]] '''MotherToBaby Utah:'''[[br]] Phone - 1-800-822-2229[[br]] Text - 1-855-999-3525[[br]] Email - expertinfo@mothertobaby.org[[br]] A service to answer questions about what medications are safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding.[[br]] [[br]] Social media for MotherToBaby include:[[br]] *Facebook: [http://www.facebook.com/MotherToBaby][[br]] *Twitter: [http://www.twitter.com/mothertobaby @MotherToBaby][[br]] *Pinterest: [http://www.pinterest.com/MotherToBaby][[br]] [[br]] '''Baby Watch Early Intervention Hotline:''' 1-800-961-4226[[br]] Utah network of services for children, birth to three years of age, with developmental delay or disabilities. [[br]][[br]] '''Utah Women and Newborn Quality Collaborative:''' [https://mihp.utah.gov/uwnqc][[br]] Provider and patient education to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. [[br]][[br]] '''March of Dimes:''' [http://www.marchofdimes.org][[br]] The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.[[br]] *Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/marchofdimes][[br]] *Twitter: [https://www.twitter.com/marchofdimes @MarchofDimes][[br]] *YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/marchofdimes][[br]] [[br]] '''University of Utah Health Care Parent-to-Parent Support Group:''' 1-801-581-2098[[br]] Support Program for families of high risk/critically ill newborns.[[br]][[br]] '''Share Parents of Utah''': A support program for families experiencing pregnancy loss or death of an infant.[[br]] 801-272-5355[[br]] [http://sputah.org/]

Health Program Information

Breastfeeding reduces infant mortality. The "Stepping Up for Utah Babies" Program was developed by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and partners to recognize Utah hospitals that have taken steps to promote, protect, educate, and encourage breastfeeding in their facilities. Using a learning collaborative model, hospitals can implement 2, 4, 6, 8, or all 10 of the evidence-based steps to successful breastfeeding identified by the World Health Organization and UNICEF ([https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/for-facilities/practice-guidelines/10-steps-and-international-code/]). A tool kit was adapted and developed outlining best practices, resources, action plans, and barriers to implementing each of the steps. Hospitals that successfully implement each two-step interval (up to 10 steps) will be certified by the Utah DHHS and recognized through media and public celebrations. The Utah DHHS is also a participant in the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Case Registry, a research project hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- Division of Reproductive Health. The SUID Case Registry collects data about the circumstances associated with SUID deaths and conducts investigations into these deaths. Collected data enables the state to develop strategies to prevent future deaths.
Page Content Updated On 02/21/2024, Published on 03/14/2024
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.state.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Mon, 18 March 2024 21:20:55 from Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.gov ".

Content updated: Thu, 20 Jun 2019 13:03:27 MDT