HTW 309
Maureen Thompson
Response Essay 3
African American infant mortality rates are historically higher than that of white Americans. The infant mortality rate for African Americans is just under 14%, while the national average infant mortality rate is much lower at just 6%. Many factors are taken into consideration as to why African Americans have a significantly higher infant mortality rate. Although poverty is definitely a contributing factor to this statistical difference, it is not the sole reason as to why there is such a huge reproductive disparity in the United States. Alongside poverty as a contributing factor is stress. Stress is a huge factor that also affects African Americans and the high infant mortality rates that they face.
Stress in the home and in the work place negatively affect African American infants and potentially lead to mortality. Although all different demographics endure stress, experts believe that African American populations endure different types and more stress. The roots of stress for African Americans lie within a history of slavery, racism, and economic and social pressures. These are stresses that African Americans have had to deal with ever since they first arrived in America and still, in some instances, sadly face today. The high rate of infant mortality can be traced back to the period of time in which African Americans were used as slaves, and periods of racism, which have caused great stress amongst the population.
Stressors that African Americans endure relate back to high infant mortality rates for many reasons. For example, the excessive stress that the African American mother faces can lead to a restricted blood flow to the placenta and trigger an early birth. Some social stress factors are also taken into account for African American infant mortality. These social factors include shorter periods of breastfeeding which could lead to an underdeveloped baby, high stress from flight or fight syndrome, feeling unsafe in their society and surroundings because many African Americans that endure excessive stress are from low income areas with high crime rates, racial profiling, institutionalized racism, and no cultural sensitivity in the health care system to help those who have a lot of stress and need help taking care of their baby and preventing infant mortality.
“For the last several years, the infant mortality rate for African Americans has hovered just under 14%, while the national average has been just under 6%. For decades, African American babies have been twice (and in some cases, even three times) as likely to die as White babies. Currently, the national infant mortality rate for Black babies is 13.7 per 1,000, compared to a rate of 5.6 per 1,000 for White babies, 3.5 per 1000 for Asian babies, and 5,3 to 6 per 1,000 for Latino babies” (Monroe 1). Clearly, there is factual statistical evidence that African American populations need more care from health policies and the government in order to increase the amount of healthy babies, and decrease the amount of infants who are dying. Since stress is a main factor of the infant mortality rate, this should be taken into consideration and perhaps some sort of government funded program should be produced in order to help out this population. For example, activities that are known to reduce stress include meditation, massage, yoga, breathing exercises, and many more. To improve the outcomes of childbirth for African Americans, a completely funded program should be made and established nationwide implementing these stress-relieving activities in order to improve the African American infant mortality rate.
Works Cited
Monroe, Shafia. “African American Infant Mortality”.
www.ictcmidwives.org/InfantMortality.pdf
Fisher Collins, Catherine. “Sources of Stress and Relief for African American Women”. http://www.abc-clio.com/product.aspx?id=2147490172