BIRTH-WEIGHT-SPECIFIC INFANT-MORTALITY RISKS FOR NATIVE-AMERICANS ANDWHITES, UNITED-STATES, 1960 AND 1984

We used NCHS natality and linked-birth/death certificate tapes to comp are birthweight-specific neonatal and postneonatal mortality risks for Native Americans and whites in 1960 and in 1984. The birthweight dist ributions for the two groups were similar both years. Native American neonatal mortality risk dropped from 20.2 in 1960 to 5.2 in 1984, and the relative risk for Native Americans with respect to whites fell fro m 1.31 in 1960 to a nonsignificant difference in 1984. Postneonatal mo rtality risks for Native Americans fell from 27.5 in 1960 to 6.2 in 19 84, with a drop in the relative risk from 5.2 to 2.1. Although the rel ative improvements for Native Americans were highest in postneonatal s urvival, Native Americans still had over twice the level of white post neonatal mortality. Birthweight was positively associated with surviva l for both groups, but the odds of Native American neonatal death were affected less by low and very low birthweights. For both groups, impr ovements in neonatal mortality were highest at the lower birthweights, while the gains in postneonatal survival benefitted normal and high b irthweight infants most.