Infant Mortality
Infant mortality rates are measures of the number of children less than one year of age who die. The average 2013 OECD rate is 3.8. In 2013, there was little difference in infant mortality rates among most OECD countries, with the average less than 4 deaths per 1,000 live births. The lowest rates are found in Iceland, Slovenia, and Finland, at 1.3 and 1.7, respectively, for Slovenia and Finland. The highest rates are much higher than the OECD average of 3.8: Indonesia (24.5), South Africa (32.8), and India (41.4). The United States’ reduction in infant mortality rate has been slower than that of other OECD countries. The U.S. rate, 5.0, is now higher than the OECD average. In the United States, there are large differences in infant mortality rates among racial groups. Black women are more likely to give birth to low-birth-weight infants, and black infants’ mortality rate is double that of white infants (NCHS, 2014).
Tobacco Use
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use kills 6 million people annually, of whom 600,000 are killed from involuntary smoking or second-hand smoking (Tobacco, 2016). It is the largest preventable risk factor. In OECD countries, smoking rates vary widely. In the 34 OECD countries, 20% of the adult population smoked in 2013, although smoking rates in men are higher than women’s rates in all OECD countries except Sweden and Iceland. The rates in Sweden, Iceland, Mexico, and Australia are less than 13% of the adult population. Smoking rates remain high in Greece for both males and females, and one in two men in Latvia and Indonesia smoke daily. However, smoking rates have declined in most OECD countries due to public health campaigns, smoke-free-environment policies, and increased taxation on tobacco products. The U.S. ranks 5th of the 34 countries rated regarding tobacco use which illustrates our national focus on tobacco free work environment and aggressive educational campaigns (OECD, 2015).