You are here:
NATIONAL VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM - LINKED BIRTH AND INFANT DEATH DATA
Description:
In 1983, NCHS established a research data set comprised of linked birth and death certificates for infants born in the United States who died before reaching one year of age. In this data set, information from the death certificate is linked with information from the birth certificate for each infant. The purpose of this linkage is to use the many additional variables available from the birth certificate in infant mortality analysis. Analysis of this information can provide insight into the major factors influencing infant mortality in the United States. The linked birth and infant death data set is a valuable tool for monitoring and exploring the complex interrelationships between infant death and risk factors present at birth. In the linked birth and infant death data set the information from the death certificate is linked to the information from the birth certificate for each infant less than 1 year of age who dies in the United States, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Guam. The purpose of the linkage is to use the many additional variables available from the birth certificate to conduct more detailed analyses of infant mortality patterns. The linked files include information from the birth certificate such as age, race, and Hispanic origin of the parents, birthweight, period of gestation, plurality, prenatal care usage, maternal education, live birth order, marital status, and maternal smoking, linked to information from the death certificate such as age at death and underlying and multiple cause of death.
