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Postneonatal Mortality Rate
Postneonatal mortality, like neonatal mortality, is a subset of infant
mortality. Postneonatal mortality is defined as those infant deaths
in which the infant is more than 27 days and less than one year of age.
Of the 339 infant deaths occurring in Arkansas in 1998, 128 (roughly
38 percent) were postneonatal deaths.
While neonatal deaths frequently arise out of conditions originating
in the prenatal period, postneonatal deaths are more likely to reflect
the socio-economic conditions of the home (e.g. quality of care and
nutrition), as well as infectious diseases and other causes.
The Postneonatal Mortality Rate is conceptually very similar to the
Infant and Neonatal Mortality Rates. Consequently, the calculations
are quite comparable. The Postneonatal Mortality Rate = (128 / 36,831)
X 1,000 = 3.5 postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births. The U.S. rate
in 1998 was 2.0 postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births.
The map indicates that the counties with high postneonatal mortality
rates are relatively scattered. It should be noted that there are
several counties with high postneonatal rates and low neonatal rates or
vice verse. Such situations may warrant further investigation.
Dallas, Izard, and Prairie counties illustrate how small numbers effect
the rankings. For example, Dallas County is one of the 19 counties with
the lowest rate (0.0), having no postneonatal deaths in the year, but is
ranked as the second highest for the years 1994-1998, at a rate of 8.5,
having had two postneonatal deaths in 1995 and two in 1997. Izard County
is ranked as number 1 for the year, at a rate of 16.1, but only fifth for
the five-year period. Prairie County is another of the 19 lowest counties,
but is ranked #2 for 1994-1998 period, at a rate of 8.5. This may be as
much a reflection of the relatively small populations as a commentary
on the health conditions of those counties.
For the time period from 1994-1998, Health Management Area 9 had the highest
average postneonatal mortality rate, by far, at 5.3, while all other health
management areas had rates of less than 4.6. ADH Health Management Area 4
had the lowest average rate at 2.7.
As with the infant and neonatal mortality rates, postneonatal mortality rates
differ significantly by race. The average postneonatal mortality rate for
Whites was 3.1. For Blacks, the rate was 5.9.
The postneonatal mortality rate decreased slightly, though not significantly,
from 3.6 in 1997 to 3.5 in 1998.
The U.S. postneonatal mortality rate, like the neonatal mortality rate, has
been declining steadily. In 1998, the rate held at 2.4, the same as 1997.
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