Newborn Deaths Higher In Deprived Areas

The death rate for newborn babies is more than twice as high in deprived towns compared with affluent areas, a study has found.
The main reasons for the difference were premature births and congenital defects, said University of Leicester researchers.
The British Medical Journal study looked at all neonatal deaths in England over 11 years from 1997.

Neonatal charity Bliss said key risk factors were smoking and obesity.

The Labour government pledged to reduce the gap in infant mortality between rich and poor in England and Wales by 10% by 2010, but some evidence suggests that the gap may actually have widened.

During the study period, 18,524 newborn babies died, but the researchers said that if all areas had the same mortality rates as the most affluent districts, the number would have been almost 40% lower.

When the root cause of the deaths was analysed, in four out of five cases, the death could be attributed to either a birth defect or premature delivery.

Differences in the care of women during pregnancy and birth did not appear to be a significant contributor.