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2023-2024 Illinois Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality Among African Americans Report
Maternal and infant mortality and morbidity remain significant indicators of national and state-level health. In addition, the crisis of non-Hispanic Black/African American infant and maternal mortality and morbidity in states, especially Illinois, mirrors the larger trends seen across the country. In Illinois, Black women were twice as likely to die from any pregnancy-related condition and three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related medical conditions as White women. Black women also had a severe maternal morbidity rate more than two times that of White women. This is more than two times the rate of non-Hispanic White women and significantly higher than Asian and Hispanic women.
Illinois has consistent disparities in infant mortality rates based on race. From 2012 to 2021, non-Hispanic Black infants consistently experienced infant mortality rates two to four times higher than non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander infants. Additionally, among all the leading causes of deaths (birth defects (20%), prematurity/fetal malnutrition (20%), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) cause of infant death (18%), and pregnancy/delivery complications (9%)) non-Hispanic Blacks top the chart for all causes. According to the Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) analysis, if the fetal and infant mortality rates for infants born to non-Hispanic Black women were reduced to match those of infants born to low-risk White women, it would prevent 204 fetal and infant deaths among Black babies each year.
Additionally, Infant deaths from SUID is dis-proportionately higher in non-Hispanic black infants than other races. Research indicates many of the SUID deaths are linked to things like not having a separate sleep environment for the infant, co-sleeping, putting baby to sleep on their tummies.
Many systemic and social factors like health insurance access, and structural issues that impact respectful care amongst others play a role in contributing to these disparities.
In July 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 101-0038, which created the Illinois Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality (IMMT) among African Americans Act (hereafter known as task force). The task force has been charged with working to identify and to present key strategies to decrease infant and maternal mortality among African Americans in Illinois.
