FATAL INJURES TO U.S. INFANTS, 1983-1987

国家卫生统计中心将出生和死亡记录联系起来

The National Center for Health Statistics linked birth and death records for U.S. infants provides the first opportunity to assess the demographic, socioeconomic and prenatal risk factors associated with deaths due to injuries in infants less than one year of age. U.S. studies of childhood deaths have been limited to the extremely sparse information available on standard death certificates. Both descriptive and risk factor analysis of infant deaths for 1983-1991 are being prepared for publication. Deaths due to homicide, the leading cause of injury death in infancy, are being examined separately to identify infants to be targeted for special interventions to prevent these deaths. Of particular interest is a recent methodological analysis of infant injury deaths that are classified as "undetermined intent." By evaluating risk factor profiles of such injuries, it may be possible to classify these injuries as likely intentional or likely unintentional. This study has enormous public health implications, as such injuries could increase death rates from homicide in the less than one year age group by 10-15% in the U.S.