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US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world This is a common stat thrown around, but there is a non-obvious caveat. How this is

US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world This is a common stat thrown around, but there is a non-obvious caveat. How this is counted differs between countries (even different in different EU countries). Wikipedia has a pretty good summary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_mortality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_mortality

sjg007 9y ago
It's not reporting: "the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States' relatively low international ranking. Rather, the report concluded that primary reason for the United States’ higher infant mortality rate when compared with Europe was the United States’ much higher percentage of preterm births.[72]" from the wikipedia article you cite. The question is why does America have a higher "percentage" of preterm births. I'll give you one reason, lack of affordable health care.
- hnburnsy 9y ago
  Doesn't this explain why? "A non-viable live birth in the US could be registered as a stillbirth in similarly developed nations like Japan, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, and France – thereby reducing the infant death count. Neonatal intensive care is also more likely to be applied in the US to marginally viable infants..."
  - sjg007 9y ago
    "the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States' relatively low international ranking." and "Many countries, including the United States, Sweden and Germany, count an infant exhibiting any sign of life as alive, no matter the month of gestation or the size, but according to United States some other countries differ in these practices."
- protomyth 9y ago
  “the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation” Notice they haven’t gone through the trouble of normalizing the criteria and doing a proper count. ‘Unlikely’ is an opinion unchecked by data. I’m getting a bit sick of the trend on HN of down voting facts that conflict with people’s world view. Prove it makes no difference or acknowledge that is a deceptive statistic to use. Along those lines, where is your data on why the US has more pre-term births? Perhaps the US has less abortions when things are going to be tough? Speculation and poor comparisons don’t enlighten on solve problems.

sjg007 9y ago

It's not reporting: "the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States' relatively low international ranking. Rather, the report concluded that primary reason for the United States’ higher infant mortality rate when compared with Europe was the United States’ much higher percentage of preterm births.[72]" from the wikipedia article you cite. The question is why does America have a higher "percentage" of preterm births. I'll give you one reason, lack of affordable health care.

hnburnsy 9y ago
Doesn't this explain why? "A non-viable live birth in the US could be registered as a stillbirth in similarly developed nations like Japan, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, and France – thereby reducing the infant death count. Neonatal intensive care is also more likely to be applied in the US to marginally viable infants..."
- sjg007 9y ago
  "the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States' relatively low international ranking." and "Many countries, including the United States, Sweden and Germany, count an infant exhibiting any sign of life as alive, no matter the month of gestation or the size, but according to United States some other countries differ in these practices."
protomyth 9y ago
“the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation” Notice they haven’t gone through the trouble of normalizing the criteria and doing a proper count. ‘Unlikely’ is an opinion unchecked by data. I’m getting a bit sick of the trend on HN of down voting facts that conflict with people’s world view. Prove it makes no difference or acknowledge that is a deceptive statistic to use. Along those lines, where is your data on why the US has more pre-term births? Perhaps the US has less abortions when things are going to be tough? Speculation and poor comparisons don’t enlighten on solve problems.