Why Is This Important?

In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society.¹

Definition

Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.

Data Sources

• Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  (https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/)
• Linked Infant Death-Birth Database, Center for Health Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health
  (https://www.nj.gov/health/chs/)
• Linked Birth/Infant Death Records, CDC WONDER On-line Database, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  (https://wonder.cdc.gov/lbd.html)

How the Measure is Calculated

How Are We Doing?

The infant mortality rate in New Jersey has been generally decreasing since the early 1900s. However, the rate varies widely across the state and by several maternal and infant characteristics. The rate among Blacks is more than triple the rate among Whites and Asians and more than double the rate among Hispanics. Regardless of age, unmarried mothers have higher rates than those of married mothers. Twin and higher order, low birth weight, and preterm infants are much more likely to die than singleton, normal birth weight, and full term infants, respectively. Two-thirds of infant deaths occur in the neonatal period (deaths at less than 28 days of age). The leading causes of infant death are congenital anomalies and short gestation/low birth weight.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The infant mortality rate (IMR) among New Jersey residents remains below the national rate. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 5.4 deaths per 1,000 births nationally compared to 3.5 in New Jersey, which had the fourth lowest IMR in the nation, after North Dakota, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

In 2021, New Jersey had the second lowest Hispanic and White IMRs and the fourth lowest Black IMR among states with 20 or more infant deaths in those racial/ethnic groups.

Despite having low rates relative to most of the rest of the US, New Jersey has the second largest disparity between Black and White IMRs (3.5) because the rate for Whites is so remarkably low. (Disparity is measured as the ratio of one group's rate to the other group's rate.)

What Is Being Done?

The Division of Family Health Services in the New Jersey Department of Health administers several programs aimed at improving children's health, including reducing infant mortality. In an effort to improve health outcomes among Black and Hispanic infants and mothers in New Jersey, three maternal and child health agencies across the state were awarded $3.5 million in grant funding in July, 2023, as part of the Department of Health's Healthy Women, Healthy Families initiative.

Nurture NJ is a multifaceted initiative to eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes.

Available Services

The Division of Family Health Services (FHS) provides support for pregnant women and newborns through several programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Perinatal Mood Disorders (e.g., postpartum depression) Helpline: 1-800-328-3838 or http://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/maternalchild/mentalhealth/getting-help/

The Healthy Women Healthy Families (HWHF) Initiative works toward improving maternal and infant health outcomes for women of childbearing age and their families, while reducing racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in those outcomes through a collaborative, coordinated, community-driven approach through the use of Community Health Workers and Central Intake Hubs.

NJ Parent Link, an interdepartmental website, is New Jersey's online Early Childhood, Parenting, and Professional Resource Center offering "one-stop shopping" for State services and resources.

More Resources

The NJSHAD Infant Death Data Query allows users to create tables, graphs, and maps of New Jersey infant deaths by maternal age, race/ethnicity, birthplace, marital status, education, parity, and substance use during pregnancy; infant age at death, sex, plurality, birthweight, gestational age, Apgar score, prenatal care, method and place of delivery, type of birth attendant, cause of death, and county or municipality of residence for 2000 to the present.

CDC, Infant Mortality

Health Program Information

Maternal and Child Health: http://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/maternalchild/

WIC: http://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/wic/

Footnote References

1. CDC, Infant Mortality, 5/15/24.