More info, please

The black baby deaths article (July 17), makes two statements: “Blacks are 5.3% of the county’s population but account for 15.3% of all infant deaths” and “Black babies are three times more likely to die in their first year of life than white and Hispanic infants.”

The first of these statements makes a comparison of percent of population to percent of infant deaths, which is meaningless. The important comparison would be the percentage of black baby births to black baby deaths. If, for example, 20% of the children born in Fresno County are black, the fact that they “account for 15.3% of all infant deaths” is an encouraging sign that infant health is improving. However, if only 5% of children born in Fresno County are black, the fact that 15.3% of all infant deaths” are of black babies is alarming, and actions should be taken to address this disparity.

As for the second statement, the reporter offers no basis, statistical or otherwise, to support the statement regarding black babies being “three times more likely to die in their first year of life than white or Hispanic infants.” From where and on what basis was that conclusion drawn?

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 8:56 AM with the headline "More info, please."