Increased infant mortality in Jersey City.

The infant mortality rate for 1982 in Jersey City, a medium-sized urban community, was found to have increased sharply from that for 1981. An investigation by health officials revealed that the increase occurred only among infants delivered to Jersey City residents at a large local municipal hospital. An increase in the incidence of newborns with birth weights of 501-1,000 grams (g) and a decrease in their survival rate accounted for much of the increase. Although local increases in infant mortality are reported in the lay press, the articles usually lack any meaningful analyses. Furthermore, investigations of such increases have not been described in the medical literature. This report describes the investigation of the rise in infant mortality for Jersey City, demonstrates how local officials can approach the problem, and indicates how essential the availability of linked birth and infant death records are to the effort.