Newborn deaths ‘more common in deprived areas’

Death rates among newborn babies are more than twice as high in deprived areas as they are in more affluent regions, a study has found.

Researchers at the University of Leicester discovered that around four-fifths of additional deaths in the most deprived areas of England are caused by premature delivery or birth defects.

The study, which is published in the British Medical Journal, looked at all neonatal (newborn) deaths in England between January 1st 1997 and December 31st 2007.

Analysis revealed that, between 1997 and 1999, death rates were more than twice as high in the most deprived areas, compared with the least deprived.

Overall, the national death rate for newborn babies would be 39 percent lower if all areas in England achieved the same rates as those seen in the least deprived areas, the study authors revealed.

They observed that attempts to reduce health inequalities have so far focused on increasing rates of breastfeeding and tackling obesity, smoking and teenage pregnancy.