Dramatic Rise in Infant Death Rate for Latinos Cited : Health: County figures show the Latino infant mortality rate has risen by more than a third since 1987. Stillbirths during the same period rose by 45%.

The infant and fetal death rate among Latinos in Los Angeles County is rising dramatically--a trend that health officials trace in part to the acculturation of Latin American immigrants and their adoption of unhealthy U.S. habits.

The Latino infant mortality rate--the rate at which babies die before age 1--has risen by more than a third since 1987, according to county health statistics released Thursday. The rate of stillbirths among Latinos during the same period rose by 45%.

“The realization that many, if not most, of these deaths are unnecessary and preventable mandates immediate, strong and effective action on the part of the public and private sectors of our community,” said Dr. Irwin A. Silberman, the county’s top maternal-health official.

Infant mortality is considered by many a barometer of a society’s health and of the condition and priorities of its health-care system. Patterns of infant and fetal death often reflect other social patterns in income, education and opportunities.

In the past, the Latino infant-death rate has been as much as 40% below that of Anglos and 66% below that of blacks. Health officials have attributed those differences in large part to strong family and community support for pregnant Latinas.

Now, the Latino death rates are rising in the county at a time when Anglo rates are dropping. Health officials trace the rise among Latinos in part to poverty, lack of education and lack of access to medical care, and in part to assimilation into U.S. society.

Some Latina immigrants, Silberman said, “are acquiring many of the characteristics of the established populations . . . such as alcohol, smoking and substance abuse (and) being subjected to the stresses and strains of living in poverty communities.”

Alcohol, tobacco smoking and drug use during pregnancy are prime causes of birth defects, disabilities and so-called low birth weight. Babies born weighing 5.5 pounds or less are 40 times more likely than others to die during the first four weeks of life.

Stress on the mother, too, has been linked to premature labor and preterm birth.

Silberman released what he called “these appalling figures” at a press conference Thursday at which a coalition of private and nonprofit groups announced a campaign to encourage Latinas to make use of opportunities for prenatal and pediatric care.

As part of the campaign, 20 neighborhood clinics intend to make available this Saturday free prenatal and well-baby care for Latinas, along with information on how to get coverage for future care under the state’s MediCal insurance program for the poor.

The program is being sponsored by La Opinion, the Spanish-language daily newspaper; the Los Angeles chapter of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition; the March of Dimes, and local health providers. (For information, call 213/250-8055.)

Silberman, director of maternal health and family programs for the county Department of Health Services, based his statements on preliminary 1989 statistics. While the figures are provisional, he said he did not anticipate significant changes.

According to Silberman, the Latino infant death rate rose from 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1987 to 7.4 in 1988 and 7.9 in 1989. By contrast, the Anglo infant death rate dropped from 10.0 in 1987 to 8.8 in 1988 and 7.4 in 1989.

The black infant mortality rate is substantially higher, as previously reported. It rose from 16.3 in 1987 to 21.1 in 1988. It appeared to level off at 20.8 in 1989, but Silberman noted that the latest figures do not include statistics from Pasadena and Long Beach.

The fetal death rate among Latinos rose from 6.0 stillbirths per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths in 1988 to 8.3 in 1989. The Anglo rate dropped from 6.0 to 5.2 between 1987 and 1988; the black rate rose from 13.4 to 15.1.

PREGNANCY OUTCOMES The infant mortality rate among Latinos in Los Angeles County, per 1,000 live births: 1987: 5.8 1988: 7.5 1989: (preliminary figures) 7.9 Comparison figures for other whites and blacks: Non-Latino whites 1987: 10.0 1988: 8.8 1989: (preliminary) 7.4 Blacks 1987: 16.3 1988: 21.1 1989: (preliminary) 20.8 The fetal mortality (stillbirths) among Latinos in Los Angeles County, per 1 , 000 live births and fetal deaths: 1987: 6.0 1988: 7.4 1989: (preliminary) 8.3 Comparison figures for other whites and blacks: Non-Latino whites 1987: 6.0 1988: 5.2 1989 NA Blacks 1987: 13.4 1988: 15.1 1989: NA Figures from Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Preliminary 1989 figures do not include statistics from Pasadena and Long Beach.