Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health
Part 8 - Office of Health Policy and Planning
Subpart 90 - Planning and Resource Development
Chapter 04 - Perinatal Care
Section 15-8-90-04-401 - Infant Mortality

Infant mortality remains a critical concern in Mississippi. There was an increase in the infant mortality rate to 8.8 in 2019 from 8.4 in 2018. Table 4-2 shows the infant, neonatal, and post-neonatal mortality rates for non-Hispanic black infants were all substantially above the rates for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic infants.

Table 4-2 2019

Mortality Rates (deaths per 1,000 live births)

Source: Mississippi Office of Vital Records and Public Health Statistics, Mississippi State Department of Health, 2021

Table 4-3 displays Mississippi's infant mortality rates from 2005 to 2019, along with the rates for the United States. Map 4-1 shows the five-year average infant mortality rate by county for the period 2015 to 2019.

Table 4-3 Infant Mortality Rates Mississippi and USA - All Races 2005-2019

N/A - Not Available

Source: Mississippi Office of Vital Records and Public Health Statistics, Mississippi State Department of Health 2021

Many factors contribute to Mississippi's high infant mortality rate including: a high incidence of preterm birth and low birthweight, young and advanced maternal age, lack of education, poverty, lack of access for planned delivery services, and lack of adequate perinatal and acute medical care.

More than 97 percent of expectant mothers received some level of prenatal care in 2019. More than 75.9 percent (27,795) of mothers began prenatal care in the first trimester; 17.4 percent (6,371) began in the second trimester, and 3.9 percent (1,440) during the third trimester. Only 1.3 percent (486) of expectant mothers received no prenatal care prior to delivery. The Kessner Index measures prenatal care adequacy based on the month in which prenatal care began, the number of prenatal visits, and the length of gestation. In Mississippi, 8.1 percent of women have inadequate prenatal care (white women account for 6.5 percent, black women account for 10.1 percent, and women of other races account for 8.4 percent).

In 2019, 12.3 percent of births were low birthweight (less than 5.5 pounds or 2,500 grams) and 14.6 percent were premature (gestational age less than 37 weeks). These indicators differ markedly by maternal race: 8.7 percent of non-Hispanic white births were low birthweight compared to 17.3 percent for non-Hispanic black births. The low birthweight rate for Hispanics was 7.8 percent. The premature birth rate was 10.4 percent for Hispanic women, 12.4 percent for non-Hispanic white women and 17.8 percent for non-Hispanic black women.

A total of 2,911 Mississippi teenagers (under 20 years of age) gave birth in 2019 - 7.9 percent of the state's 36,634 live births. Teenage births increased each year from 2005 until 2007 but decreased steadily through 2018. There was a slight (2.6%) increase in the number of births to teenagers between 2018 and 2019. In 2019, 13.9 percent of teenage births were low birthweight and 13.7 percent were premature.

There are several factors that could create a high-risk pregnancy condition. These factors include:

* Existing health conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, heart or blood disorders, renal conditions, thyroid disease, diabetes, asthma, autoimmune diseases, epilepsy, obesity, sexually transmitted infections, stress, depression, anxiety, etc.);

* Age (young age or over 35 years of age);

* Lifestyle factors (e.g., substance use/substance use disorders including alcohol and tobacco);

* Short interpregnancy intervals [Interpregnancy care. Obstetric Care Consensus No. 8. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2019;133:e51-72.]; and

* Conditions of pregnancy (e.g., multiple gestation, preeclampsia and eclampsia, gestational diabetes, previous preterm birth, birth defects or genetic conditions of the fetus).