what is the leading cause of infant death in the united states
Infant mortality Premature birth is the biggest contributor to the IMR.[2] Other leading causes of infant mortality are birth asphyxia, pneumonia, term birth complications such as abnormal presentation of the foetus umbilical cord prolapse, or prolonged labor,[3] neonatal infection, diarrhea, malaria, measles and malnutrition.[4] One of the most common preventable causes of infant mortality is smoking during pregnancy.[5] Many factors contribute to infant mortality, such as the mother's level of education, environmental conditions, and political and medical infrastructure.[6] Improving sanitation, access to clean drinking water, immunization against infectious diseases, and other public health measures can help reduce high rates of infant mortality.
Death education Historically death education in American society has been seen as a taboo topic, not worthy of scholarly research or for educational purposes. In the 1960s pioneering professionals like that of Herman Feifel (1959), Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1969), and Cicely Saunders (1967) encouraged behavioral scientists, clinicians, and humanists to pay attention and to study death-related topics. This initiated the death-awareness movement and began the widespread study of death-related behavior, developing new programs of care for the dying and bereaved, as well as new research on death-related attitudes.[2]