Learn the Facts
What is an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?
The death of a child under one year of age, for any reason, contributes to a community’s infant mortality rate.
Why is infant mortality important?
Infant mortality is a key indicator of overall community health. It is affected by poverty, education, community systems and programs. All babies are important members of the community.
What causes this high Infant Mortality Rate?*
In Allen County, most babies are dying because they are being born too soon. Premature birth is the cause of approximately half of all infant deaths in our area. Unsafe sleep was a contributing factor to five Fort Wayne infant deaths in 2017.
*Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Data
We seek to understand our community more deeply.
Over the past two years, the multi-disciplinary Allen County Fetal Infant Mortality Review has reviewed 74 individual records of fetal and infant deaths. The purpose of these reviews are to examine social, economic, cultural, safety, and health system factors associated with infant death.
Understanding residents’ experiences will be key to solving this problem.
Primarily southeast side residents were surveyed to assess what they considered to be barriers to obtaining healthcare for themselves or their children. The 142 respondents identified these top five barriers:
Feeling judged (60)
Insurance issues (60)
Transportation (51)
Takes too much time (46)
Childcare (45)
Utilizing Fort Wayne UNITED’s L.I.V.E. Session format and a survey tool, 55 (primarily southeast side) residents were asked about their personal experiences and living in Fort Wayne. Some key takeaways include the following:
had personal experience with infant loss
were unaware that infant mortality is a problem
reported that violence was a problem in their neighborhood
had gone to bed hungry during the last two weeks
thought that stress plays a role in women’s pregnancies in their neighborhood
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