Infant Mortality Proposal
Purpose/Rationale
In Shelby County, Tennessee, the African-American infant mortality rate exceeds the state and national average by more than 50 percent. The infant mortality rate is determined by the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births and is used to measure the overall health of communities worldwide. The Urban Child Institute (TUCI) 2012, reported that in 2010, 13.4 of 1000 infants born to African-American mothers in Shelby County, Tennessee died before their first birthday. These numbers are numbing; all while exceeding the national average of 6.1 deaths per 1000 live births. According to a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)(Murphy, Xu, and Kochanek, 2012), nationally there are many reasons why infant mortality rates are high, such as congenital malformations, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), unintentional injuries deemed as accidents, and respiratory issues. However, in Shelby County, Tennessee the leading causes of infant mortality are low birth weight and prematurity (State of Tennessee, 2012). Other suspected attributing factors to the high mortality of infants are a lack of prenatal care, teen pregnancy and single-parenting; however, no research has proven these theories (TUCI, 2012) or found any definite reasons for the increased mortality among African-American infants.
The purpose of this proposal is to determine if partnering doulas with pregnant African-American women in Shelby County, Tennessee in their first trimester will decrease the infant mortality rates. Lately there has been an increase in the use of doulas in the United States (US), however research has found that many of the mothers who can benefit the most from these intimate relationships do not have access to the services because of socioeconomic status (SES) (Low, Moffat, and Brennan, 2006).
Doulas are trained nonmedical professionals who assist women by providing nonmedical emotional, physical, and educational support throughout
In Shelby County, Tennessee, the African-American infant mortality rate exceeds the state and national average by more than 50 percent. The infant mortality rate is determined by the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births and is used to measure the overall health of communities worldwide. The Urban Child Institute (TUCI) 2012, reported that in 2010, 13.4 of 1000 infants born to African-American mothers in Shelby County, Tennessee died before their first birthday. These numbers are numbing; all while exceeding the national average of 6.1 deaths per 1000 live births. According to a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)(Murphy, Xu, and Kochanek, 2012), nationally there are many reasons why infant mortality rates are high, such as congenital malformations, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), unintentional injuries deemed as accidents, and respiratory issues. However, in Shelby County, Tennessee the leading causes of infant mortality are low birth weight and prematurity (State of Tennessee, 2012). Other suspected attributing factors to the high mortality of infants are a lack of prenatal care, teen pregnancy and single-parenting; however, no research has proven these theories (TUCI, 2012) or found any definite reasons for the increased mortality among African-American infants.
The purpose of this proposal is to determine if partnering doulas with pregnant African-American women in Shelby County, Tennessee in their first trimester will decrease the infant mortality rates. Lately there has been an increase in the use of doulas in the United States (US), however research has found that many of the mothers who can benefit the most from these intimate relationships do not have access to the services because of socioeconomic status (SES) (Low, Moffat, and Brennan, 2006).
Doulas are trained nonmedical professionals who assist women by providing nonmedical emotional, physical, and educational support throughout
References: Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs. (2008, November). The Tampa Bay doula program. Retrieved from www.amchp.org/?programsandtopics/?BestPractices/?InnovationStation/?ISDocs/?Tampa-Bay-Doula.pdf Cleeton, E. R. (2003). “Are you beginning to see a pattern here?”: Family and medical discourses shape the story of Black infant mortality. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 30(1), 41-63. Menfield, C. E., & Dawson, J. (2008). Infant mortality in southern states: A bureaucratic nightmare. Journal of Health & Human Services Administration, 31(3), 385-402. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/?ehost/?pdfviewer/?pdfviewer?sid=24910dab-4a97-497d-9740-e5a51707db66%40sessionmgr110&vid=5&hid=123 Thomas, K. K. (2006). The Hill-Burton act and civil rights: Expanding hospital care for Black Southerners. The Journal of Southern History, 72(4), 823-870. Van Ryn, M., & Pu, S. (2003). Paved with good intentions:Do public health and human service providers contribute to racial/?ethnic disparities in health? American Journal of Public Health, 93(2), 248-255. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/?ehost/?pdfviewer/?pdfviewer?sid=24910dab-4a97-497d-9740-e5a51707db66%40sessionmgr110&vid=9&hid=123