Memorandum on Public Adminstration - Case Study Example

The level of infant mortality is an important indicator of health status of a community. Health People 2010 consensus document stated the reduction of infant mortality rate as one of its objectives. Numerous documentaries reveal the existence of racial disparities in infant mortality rate (IMR). African Americans and other racial minority groups experience a slightly higher IMR as compared to the IMR experienced by the whites. The disparities in neonatal mortality occur due to factors influencing the birth of extremely preterm infants and the access to specialized pediatric and obstetric care.

Neonatal mortality accounts for about 67 percent of the national IMR (Khanani et al., 1). Therefore, the risk of preterm birth is a fundamental factor to assess when seeking to decrease the infant mortality. Infant death rate is a key gauge of a nation’s health. It measures the number of infants that die before they reach the age of one year. Most studies on the impacts of WIC on infant’s health have methodological limitations. In most of these studies, the independent measure is often eligibility rather than participation and measure of the results being cause of infant death or timing of those deaths.

Population based surveys including WIC program participation are limited. Besides studies examining the effects of timing of WIC are very rare. Evidence on the effects of interventions such as nutritional and prenatal care on birth weight and other features of infant’s health in US populations is variegated. This makes it uncertain on how the WIC program might affect infant mortality. Since its founding in 1974, the WIC program has gained the reputation of being a successful federal funded nutrition program in the US.

Numerous findings of previous studies reviews and reports show that WIC program is cost effective in nurturing and improving the health and nutritional status of