Cross-cultural study of infant mortality: A comparative analysis between first-world and third-world countries

Infant mortality is one of the leading indicators of a nation's health status, and the United States has much to learn from other countries to improve its performance on this critical measure.

This cross-cultural study of health systems in Sweden, Kenya, and the United States, provides a foundational understanding of how health organizations are arranged in each country to improve performance on the metric of infant mortality. As a study of infant mortality quickly evolves into a study of women and their role in society, and of basic national beliefs, it is national values such as the Swedish focus on security, the Kenyan focus on collective strength, and the American primacy of individualism which impact the delivery of maternal and child health.

The study examined the role of partnerships among public and private public health organizations, pediatric hospitals, and government agencies and considered the following questions:

• Is it the social system, the educational system, the public health system, or the medical system that determines the level of child health in a country? • How can health care institutions be held more accountable for the broader health of the communities they serve? • How can epidemiology be aligned with public health efforts, health care delivery systems, and effective outreach from each?

Global lessons to improve infant mortality rates will be shared in an attempt to spur new thinking, ranging from "new" models of neonatal care such as mother-rooming-in couplet care to kangaroo care, from nurse-directed primary care clinics to prenatal care programs led by traditional birth attendants.