Newark Infant Death Rate Falls As NJ Fights ‘Shameful’ Race Gap

NEWARK, NJ — New Jersey continues to struggle with a longstanding infant mortality gap that some advocates have called “shameful” and “racist.” But in Newark – the state’s largest city – there may be some signs that things are turning around, a report says.

In 2017, the infant mortality rate for Black people in New Jersey was more than three times that of white people, a disparity that had remained constant for at least 10 years. Black mothers weren't the only ones who face odds they shouldn't; Hispanic women in New Jersey experienced twice the rate of infant mortality compared to white women, researchers pointed out.

With help from New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, the state soon launched a massive public health campaign with an ambitious goal: reduce the state's mortality gap by 50 percent over five years.

• See related article: Here's The Plan To Fix New Jersey's 'Racist' Infant Mortality Gap

On Tuesday, Advocates for Children of New Jersey released their 2022 Newark Kids Count data book, which compiled a treasure trove of local information about child care, education, employment, poverty and health.

It included some encouraging news for Newark. According to the nonprofit:

“The infant mortality rate has decreased in Newark, dropping from 8.1 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2018 to 5.6 in 2019. This trend comes as the state seeks to improve outcomes for new and expectant mothers through the first lady's Nurture NJ campaign, which includes reducing the infant mortality rate of babies born to Black women and other women of color. More recent data from 2020 show that over 85% of Newark mothers giving birth are receiving prenatal care beginning in their first or second trimesters, an important step in providing support for expectant mothers and reducing the risk of health problems for infants later in life.”

“Healthy starts for Newark infants begin with quality prenatal care early in a mother’s pregnancy,” the group’s report states. “Women who receive late prenatal care—or who do not receive prenatal care entirely—expose their babies to a greater chance of health problems later in life.”

Newark’s improved infant mortality gap comes despite local challenges that many other towns in New Jersey don’t face, researchers said.

In 2020, about 57 percent of expectant Newark moms received prenatal care beginning in their first trimester, compared to three-quarters of New Jersey moms. Also that year, about 11.3 percent of Newark babies were born with low birthweights, compared to 7.7 percent of babies born statewide.

The state’s infant mortality gap has been an issue that has united many people in the Newark community. In 2019, a group of activists took to the streets of Newark in an attempt to raise awareness and funds to support black infant and maternal health.

Advocates from Newark, Atlantic City, Camden and Trenton – including representatives from the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) – participated in a “Walk for Black Babies,” marching to the steps of Newark City Hall and talking with local community members along the way.

• See related article: March In Newark Raises Awareness About Black Infant Deaths

There may also be signs that New Jersey’s campaign to attack the gap is starting to pay off on a state level, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in January 2021.

According to the CDC:

“In 2018, the New Jersey PRAMS team analyzed data from 2012–2015 on topics that include timing of prenatal care, barriers to receiving prenatal care, experiencing stressful life events, attending postpartum visits, experiencing postpartum depression, breastfeeding, and bedsharing … This data highlighted important issues to address. For example, Black mothers had the lowest rates of post-partum checkups (81.9%) and breastfeeding initiation (81.4%). They also had the second highest rates of post-partum depression symptoms (14.3%) and report of often bed sharing (32.4%).”

A wave of subsequent state funding helped to power a series of initiatives, such as group prenatal care, community doulas, and programs such as breastfeeding and fatherhood support groups. After two years, the NJDOH had trained 79 doulas, hired 30 community health workers and employed 13 new community health worker supervisors.

As of June 2020, almost 49,000 women have received case management services and over 25,000 women have been referred to programs such as Home Visiting and Healthy Start, the CDC said.

• See related article: Doulas Hired In New Jersey To Fight Baby Mortality Gap
• See related article: Tackle NJ Black Infant Death Gap By Training Docs, Lawmakers Say
• See related article: New Jersey Doula: Here Are 5 Stigmas Pregnant Black Women Face

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