The Convergence in Black-White Infant Mortality Rates during the 1960's

This study examined trends in black-white infant mortality during 1955-1975 using annual data at the state and rural-urban levels. Substantial improvements are documented in the relative health of black infants during 1965-1975 that cannot be explained by preexisting trends. Although the black-white infant mortality gap narrowed in all regions of the U.S., the convergence was particularly sharp in the rural South. Finally, a strong correlation is found between the changes in the relative infant mortality rate of blacks in the South and changes in the relative fraction of black births that occurred in hospitals.