Butler County Infant Mortality Data

One of the best indicators of the health of a community is its infant mortality rate. The death of a child before his or her first birthday is known as infant mortality. It is often associated with factors such as maternal health, access to and quality of health care, socioeconomic conditions and health policies.

Butler County is among the top 10 worst urban areas in the state for infant mortality. Therefore, Butler County is part of a collaboration with the other high rate counties specifically working to reduce infant mortality in Ohio. This initiative is also part of a greater national initiative called Healthy People 2020. This is a national health goal which includes reducing infant mortality to a rate of 6 per 1000 births by 2020.

Based on the barplots, there are four risk groups exhibiting higher infant mortality rates aggregated over a five-year period from 2011 to 2015 in Butler County. To learn more about these groups, click the Risk Groups tab at the top of the page.

The data were provided by the Ohio Department of Health.The Department specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions. For questions about data please contact: Thomas Boeshart at Hamilton County Public Health 513-946-7980
App Created by Group Three: Maeva Metz, Keith Cartwright, Conor Conway

Comparison of Groups with High Infant Mortality and the Ohio Reference Group

While the low birth count can make it make it difficult to distinguish between random changes and true changes in the underlying risk for the community, in 2015, the infant mortality rate was the highest Butler county has seen in at least ten years. Specific efforts are being made to reduce infant mortality in this community.

Note: Overweight/Obesity is calculated using the height and weight of the mother obtained from the birth summary.

Accessing early and regular prenatal care improves the chances of a healthy pregnancy, and having a healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth. Early prenatal care access is the percent of mothers who began prenatal care within the first trimester of pregnancy. Since 1990, the percentage of Butler County mothers who began prenatal care in the first trimester has been steadily decreasing.

Adults who are married are generally found to be healthier adults than individuals who are divorced, widowed or separated. While the population in Butler county has been increasing since 2000, the marital status of Butler County residents has been decreasing.

Note: Smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of a preterm or low birth-weight birth which are risk factors for infant mortality. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from a miscarriage and increase the risk of Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome (SUIDS).

Note: While smoking impacts both the mother and infant, breastfeeding also impacts infants and mothers in immediate postpartum period and during infancy. Infants who are exclusively breastfed, or have been breastfed for any extent of time experience significantly fewer infections and diseases than infants who were never breastfed or were formula-fed. Breastfeeding provides infants the nutrients they need for healthy development and contains antibodies that can help protect infants from common childhood illnesses.

The data were provided by the Ohio Department of Health.The Department specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions. For questions about data please contact: Thomas Boeshart at Hamilton County Public Health 513-946-7980
App Created by Group Three: Maeva Metz, Keith Cartwright, Conor Conway