The infant mortality rate (6.3) is low due to under reporting. The actual value is expected to be more around 6.5
Infant Mortality Rates use total births in the denominator. The total number of births for year 2012 was updated on 12/16/2014 to reflect an additional 153 births received after final close-out. This has the effect of changing the statewide IMR from the 9/10/14-published rate of 6.8 to 6.7. Therefore reports created between 9/10/2014 and 12/16/2014 may have different rates.
Race assignment for out-of-state Georgia residents overestimated the category multi-racial. Once corrected, the number of White and Black or African-American deaths increased 4.3% and 2.9% respectively. Overall numbers and rates were not affected. This update occurred 9.14.2015.
Since 2008, there has been a sharp increase in Unknown race in Birth data, which had the predominant effect of lowering the number of White births. This effect has been seen nationwide and is associated with the use of the “2003 revision” of the birth certificate (introduced in GA in mid-2007). After consultation with NCHS, we implemented their imputation rule for Unknown race on 1/10/2017.
The effect of the imputation for Mother’s Race in Birth data, on White Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), was that there was a decrease in White IMR due to increase in total number of White Births (denominator).
The correction is most pronounced in 2008 with a decrease in White IMR by 1.0, but lessens in subsequent years with White IMR decrease of 0.4 in 2015.
SIDS data were accidentally inflated during the period 1/25/23 – 3/3/23.
Content Version 3/2/2023