country has the most state of the art health care

[timo]

Let's assume the increase of infant mortalitiy rate in the US (6.3) compared to Canada (4.8) is largely due to the fact that teenage mothers (share being 0.17% vs. 0.06% according to the numbers jryan linked to) have an increased probability X for infant mortality. Then, approxmately [math] \frac{(1-0.0017) + 0.0017X}{(1-0.0006)+0.0006X} = 6.3/4.8 [/math]. Feel free to do this calculation properly; I'll simplify it and claim that Canada has no pregnant children, so [math](1-0.0017) + 0.0017X = 6.3/4.8 \Rightarrow X = \frac{6.3/4.8 - 0.9983}{0.0017} \approx \frac{0.2}{0.002} = 100[/math]. According to this idea, the infant mortality rate for teenage mothers has to be more than 100 times that of adult mothers!

Edited January 8, 2011 by timo

[jryan]

I'm not sure I followed that. Why should the rate be higher just because the volume is higher?

 

Teen pregnancies is one of the leading factors in low birth weight babies, and in turn low birth weight is a leading factor in infant mortality.

[Pangloss]

That's interesting, I did not know that.

[nec209]

Look overpopulation and crude medicine not having close to star trek medicine is going to mean nothing in 50 or 100 years from now when ww3 comes about finding over water,food and oil yes this will happen the earth will go boom in 50 or 100 years do to overpopulation and lack of earth resources like food,water,coil ,oil and gas and mining.

 

We do not have space ship that can do space mining or take people to moon and mars and live there and other star system and there is nothing on the drawing board so having only 1 kid is the only option and rationing to the rocket science improves.

[CharonY]

Teen pregnancy increase the risk of infant death by something like three, IIRC. So together with Timo's calculation it is clear that it cannot be a major reason for the differences in infant mortality (though it certainly contributes to some extent).

[lemur]

Teen pregnancy increase the risk of infant death by something like three, IIRC. So together with Timo's calculation it is clear that it cannot be a major reason for the differences in infant mortality (though it certainly contributes to some extent).

 

Please try to remember that all statistical conclusions are loose correlations and do not explain causation. "Factors associated with" may include actual causal factors or they may simply be links in a chain that leads to the ultimate cause(s). Obviously teenage bodies are not naturally more hostile to fetuses than adult bodies, so other factors are involved.

[CharonY]

Note that I said that teen pregnancies carry increased risk for infant death and did not give any indication of possible causes.

 

Obviously teenage bodies are not naturally more hostile to fetuses than adult bodies

 

This may not be that obvious as bodily changes are still happening between age 12-16, where the largest increase in infant mortality was observed.

[nec209]

Note that I said that teen pregnancies carry increased risk for infant death and did not give any indication of possible causes.

 

 

 

This may not be that obvious as bodily changes are still happening between age 12-16, where the largest increase in infant mortality was observed.

 

For some reason the US has very high case of infant death in the ER.

[JohnB]

Considering that per 100,000 the US has less doctors, nurses and hospital beds than the other developed countries I would think it rather obvious why infant mortality and death rates in general are higher in the US than elsewhere.

 

The bizarre part is that the US spends more per capita than anybody else for a worse outcome.

 

A point for clarity. "Infant Mortality" is defined as live births that don't reach their first birthday. People can argue semantics all they want, but the simple fact is that baby born in Cuba has a better chance of survival than a baby born in America and has a longer life expectancy.