South West Public Health Observatory

Infant mortality in the South West of England
SWPHO Bulletin - August 2002
Target
Causes
Information
Action
Monitoring
References

                          


Infant mortality target

Starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least ten per cent the gap in mortality between manual groups and the population as a whole.

This target is considered challenging because the extrapolation of recent trends suggests a widening of the gap between manual group and the population as a whole. Although present across all age groups and for most causes, social inequalities in mortality are more marked beyond the first month of life and for some conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), infections and accidents. 3   This has potential implications for choosing the most effective interventions to reduce inequalities.