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Chapter 2: Case Study ExtensionInfant Mortality |
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Introduction | International Comparison | Infant Mortality by Maternal Race | Ten Leading Causes | References and Resources
Introduction
As noted in your text, infant
mortality is concerned with infant deaths during the first year of life. The
infant mortality rate is usually defined to be the number of such deaths per
1000 live births during a given calendar year. In this case study extension, we
will look at several sets of data concerning infant mortality. All of these data
sets are based on material from The March of Dimes.
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International Comparison of Infant Mortality Rates
The Comparison Dataset gives an international comparison of infant mortality rates for the year 1994. Note that this ranking differs significantly from the one in your text.
1. Construct a grouped-data table for infant mortality rates using classes of equal width and starting with the class [4, 6).
2. Construct a frequency histogram for the infant mortality rates based on your grouping in Exercise 1.
3. Construct an ordered stem and leaf diagram for the infant mortality rates.
4. Compare the results of Exercises 1-3 with the results you obtain using the data set in your text.
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Infant Mortality by Maternal Race
The table below gives US infant mortality rate based on the race of the mother for the year 1996.
| Race | Rate |
|---|---|
| White | 6.1 |
| Black | 14.1 |
| Native American | 10.0 |
| Asian | 5.2 |
| All | 7.3 |
5. What type of data is represented by the Race variable?
6. Sketch the bar graph that corresponds to the table. Show the overall rate as a baseline on the graph.
7. Explain why the overall infant mortality rate of 7.3 is not simply the average of the infant mortality rates for the various races.
8. Explain briefly why infant mortality rates in the US are different for different races and ethnic groups.
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Ten Leading Causes of Infant Mortality, United States, 1998
The table below gives the 10 leading causes of infant mortality in the United States for the year 1998. Rates represent deaths per 1,000 live births.
| Rank | Cause | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birth Defects | 1.576 |
| 2 | Pre-term or low birth weight | 1.040 |
| 3 | Sudden infant death syndrome | 0.716 |
| 4 | Pregnancy complications | 0.341 |
| 5 | Respiratory distress syndrome | 0.329 |
| 6 | Placenta or cord complications | 0.244 |
| 7 | Infections | 0.207 |
| 8 | Accidents | 0.191 |
| 9 | Hypoxia or birth asphyxia | 0.117 |
| 10 | Pneumonia or influenza | 0.112 |
9. What type of data is represented by the Cause variable?
10. Find the overall mortality rate for the top 10 causes of death. Comparing this with the total mortality rate of 7.2, note that the top 10 causes account for more than half of all infant deaths.
11. Sketch the bar graph that corresponds to the table.
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References and Resources
1. The March of Dimes > Professionals and Researchers > Perinatal Statistics > National Perinatal Statistics
2. Centers for Disease Control > The National Center for Health Statistics > Data Warehouse
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