Summit on preventing infant mortality slated for Nov. 28

A group of advocates, policymakers, doctors and public health officials will meet Nov. 28 in Columbus for a collaborative summit that aims to bolster efforts to reduce infant mortality rates in the state (Source: "Infant mortality getting attention in Ohio," Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 28, 2012).

Infant mortality is a measure of community health that includes the deaths of all babies who die before the age of one.  According to Dr. Arthur James, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and one of the leaders of community efforts to reduce infant deaths,  the infant mortality rate in Ohio is 21 percent worse overall than for the nation as a whole, and for black infants it’s 25 percent worse.

“It’s not a position we’re going to tolerate in this state,” said Dr. Theodore Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health. “There are things we can do, and we know what many of them are.”

Officials say many of these types of deaths could be prevented with better education of parents and other caregivers. Parents need to understand the importance of safe-sleep practices, good
nutrition and breast-feeding. They also need to understand the risk factors that contribute to infant mortality including maternal obesity, tobacco use and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and lack of physical activity.