Policy Equity Assessment of the National Healthy Start Initiative

Abstract

Temitope Ogundare

Infant mortality is one of the indicators of a country’s health and well-being and an important determinant of development. Trends in the United States show a decline in Infant Mortality Rate but racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities exist. The paper analyses the National Healthy Start Initiative, a program created to reduce infant mortality in the United States with a focus on African-American women and other minority groups, using the policy equity assessment method, and provides recommendations on program improvement.