Date of Conferral

11-29-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Tolulope Osoba

Abstract

African American mothers have the highest infant mortality rate of any other racial group, in the United States. In Milwaukee, the rates for non-Hispanic African Americans were two to three times higher than those for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics between 2016 and 2018. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in 2022, the infant mortality rate in 2021 was 12.9 for every 1,000 live births. This cross-sectional quantitative epidemiological study explores risk factors correlated with high infant mortality rates among Wisconsin African American mothers who gave birth to live infants between 2011 and 2021. To determine whether there is a significant association between high infant mortality rates and (a) low birth weight, (b) fetal macrosomia, (c) preeclampsia, (d) gestational diabetes, (e) preterm birth, and (f) mother’s education. The socio-ecological model is used to analyze maternal health and newborn health outcomes connected with inequalities in infant mortality rates among African Americans. The study was employed using secondary data from (1) Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) and (2) the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The research revealed there is an association between preeclampsia and preterm birth (p < 0.001), the mother’s highest level of education, and the occurrence of fetal macrosomia (p < 0.001). However, there was no association between gestational diabetes and low birth weight (p = 0.473) and no significant change in infant mortality rates in Milwaukee between 2011 and 2021 (p = .663). The positive social change implications of this study include the potential to inform targeted interventions and policies that address the specific risk factors associated with infant mortality among African Americans.

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