Curbing Infant Mortality in the Near East Side of Columbus

Abstract: The rate of infant mortality in the United States is higher than most other developed countries. Ohio has second highest infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country, and Franklin County has one of the highest IMRs in Ohio. Moms2B is a pregnancy education and support program that seeks to reduce the IMR throughout Franklin County. The aim of this study was to evaluate the program efficacy of Moms2B’s East location. Data collected from Moms2B was compared to data from Columbus Public Health (CPH) on Near East Side births. The data analysis concluded that Moms2B has similar low birth weight rates to that of the Near East Side, but has significantly lower rates of preterm births than in the Near East Side. The data also demonstrates that Moms2B East participants had not experienced infant deaths. Based on these results, this study identifies the need for more comprehensive programs like Moms2B, which aim to help high-risk mothers by targeting and addressing social determinants of maternal and infant health.No embargoAcademic Major: Public Healt