2C. AGE-SPECIFICMORTALITY
Infantmortality
Infant mortality rates vary
with maternal age. In 2013,
infant mortality decreased
with increasing maternal age
through 34 years of age, but
increased somewhat among
mothers age 35-39. Infants
born to mothers aged 40 and
above had the highest infant
mortality rate (
Figure 2C-
4.4
).
Figure2C-4.4
InfantMortalityRates byMother?sAgeGroup, Arizona, 2013
Note: 2 cases in the complete 2013 birth fileweremissingmother?s age.
Infants born to unmarried mothers
accounted for the absolutemajority
of infant deaths in 2013 (260 vs.
148). The number of births to
married mothers exceeded by 18.9
percent the number of births to
unmarried mothers (45,605 vs.
38,352;
Table 1B-26
). In 2013,
infants of unmarried mothers had
an infant mortality rate of 6.8
deaths per 1,000 live births, 112.5
percent higher than the rate for
infants of married mothers (3.2
infant deaths per 1,000 live births;
Figure 2C-4.5
). The effect of
marital status on infant mortality
suggests that marital status is a
proxy
measure
of
factors
traditionally related to infant
mortality
such
as
poverty
conditions, access to health care,
and social support. Mother?s marital
status may signify the presence or
absence of emotional, social, and
financial resources.
Figure2C-4.5
InfantMortalityRates byMother?sMarital Status, Arizona, 2013
Note: 1,006 cases in the complete 2013 birth fileweremissingmother?smarital status.
Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics 2013
149
