Many factors can contribute to these mortality rates, which could include late prenatal care, increased poverty level, and lack of knowledge. Within my county, an extremely high percentage of mothers did not receive prenatal care during their first trimester of pregnancy. According to a study done by Hauck, Tanabe, and Moon (2011), the three leading causes of infant mortality are contributed to a short gestational age and low birth weight, congenital malformations, and maternal complications related to pregnancy. African-American women are twice as likely to deliver premature infants, increasing the risk of infant deaths due to low birth rate. Another study also confirmed that African-American women had the highest level among all ethnic groups for delivering a preterm infant with increased mortality (MacDorman & Mathews, 2011). Public health
Many factors can contribute to these mortality rates, which could include late prenatal care, increased poverty level, and lack of knowledge. Within my county, an extremely high percentage of mothers did not receive prenatal care during their first trimester of pregnancy. According to a study done by Hauck, Tanabe, and Moon (2011), the three leading causes of infant mortality are contributed to a short gestational age and low birth weight, congenital malformations, and maternal complications related to pregnancy. African-American women are twice as likely to deliver premature infants, increasing the risk of infant deaths due to low birth rate. Another study also confirmed that African-American women had the highest level among all ethnic groups for delivering a preterm infant with increased mortality (MacDorman & Mathews, 2011). Public health