Differences in infant mortality between blacks and whites--United States, 1980-1991.

National health objectives for the year 2000 include reducing the overall infant mortality rate (i.e., deaths at age < 1 year per 1000 live births) to no more than 7.0 per 1000 live births (objective 14.1) and the infant mortality rate for blacks to no more than 11.0 (objective 14.1a). Achieving this goal will require reducing the race-specific differences in infant mortality. During 1979-1981, infant mortality was the second leading cause of excess deaths among blacks aged < 45 years, accounting for approximately 6000 more deaths among black infants than among white infants. Since 1960, rates for infant mortality and low birthweight (LBW) (< 2500 g [< 5 lbs, 8 oz]) for blacks were twice those for whites; these ratios remained stable through the early 1980s. To characterize current trends in the ratios of race-specific infant mortality, LBW, and very low birthweight (VLBW) (< 1500 g [< 3 lbs, 4 oz]) rates among blacks and whites, data were analyzed from published reports of final birth and mortality statistics from 1980 through 1991*. This report summarizes the results of that analysis.