Ingham County Sees 'High Numbers' In Infant Mortality - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

Many parents are not seeing their children live past their first birthday. Infant mortality has become a concern for some in Ingham County.

Health officials use infant mortality rates to assess a community's overall health. Six out of every 1,000 babies in Ingham County die before they turn one.

"Infants in Ingham County are not thriving and surviving at the rates in which we would like to see," said Dr. Renee Canady, an Ingham County Health Officer.

Race is also playin a factor. Black babies are five times more likely than white babies to die before their first birthday. Officials say this is because black women are more likely to suffer from poverty, poor nutrition and other social stresses. 

"We're seeing significant disparities," said Dr. Canady. "Health is not just about health care. It's not just about clinical services. It really is about the context of women's lives, the neighborhoods in which they live, the social stressors that impede their choices or their ability to do what is in the best interest of themselves and their children."

She says there are steps women can take to curb this deadly syndrome.

"The things that prevent diabetes, that prevent obesity, that promote exercise are the same things that promote a healthy pregnancy," Dr. Canady says.