Black Infant Health Program (BIH) Fact Sheet

Goals

Reduce the deaths of African-American infants, including deaths due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Increase the first trimester prenatal care visits by pregnant African-American women.
Foster the continuity of health care services during the perinatal and interconception period for African-American women and their infants.

African-American babies are nearly three times as likely to die as White infants. In 2004, the infant mortality rate for African-American infants was 12.0 deaths per 1,000 live births as compared to 4.6 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic White infants and 5..2 for Hispanic infants.
African-American infants in California are twice as likely to be born with low birth weight as White infants. In 2005, the percentage of African-American babies born with low birth weight was 12.8 percent, compared to 6.5 percent for non-Hispanic Whites and 6.2 for Hispanic infants.
The risk of having low-birth weight babies is higher for pregnant women who are poor, African-Americans, younger than age 17, have little or not prenatal care, have inadequate diets, pregnancy weight gain is less than 20 pounds, and who smoke, abuse illicit substances, or consume alcohol.

Identify “at-risk” pregnant and parenting African-American women and provide them assistance in using appropriate medical care and other family support services.
Provide case management services to assure the provision of appropriate pediatric care through the first years of the infant's life.
Educate pregnant and parenting African-American women and the entire community on the causes of infant mortality and the relationship between low birth weight and infant survival.
Improve the nutritional status of pregnant and parenting African-American women. Assess and develop strategies to reduce obesity and anemia.
Encourage the “Back to Sleep” awareness campaign. Assess and monitor sleeping patterns of infants born to mothers in the BIH Program for the prevention of SIDS.

Improving the health of pregnant and parenting African-American women, infants and their families, contributes to the health and wellness of the entire society.

City and county health department staff in conjunction with local community advisory boards and community based organizations with the 17 local health jurisdictions where over 90 percent of African-American infant births and infant deaths occur. To locate assistance in your area, please see our Black Infant Health Coordinator Directory.

Federal Title V MCH Block Grant Funds, Federal Title XIX (Medicaid) Funds, and State General Funds. Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program administers the BIH Program. Please see the BIH Program for more information.