Defining the Problem

This week we were asked to develop a problem definition for our final paper. A good public health problem definition targets a population and is very specific. It is important to create a good problem definition in order to have a solid starting point from which to develop the rest of the paper.

My problem definition: From 2006-2008 African-American infants were 2.8 times more likely to die than white infants in Baltimore City.
Information from Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Center http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/bystate/Rankings.aspx?state=MD&ind=4514

I chose this topic because, in my opinion, health disparities are one of the largest problems with the current American health care system. Infant mortality rate has traditionally been considered a reliable indicator of overall population health. Therefore, if the African-American community experiences significantly worse infant mortality, this is a good predictor that the overall community experiences poor health.

I chose to focus on Baltimore because the city has historically tense race-relations which have resulted in large differences in living conditions between black and white Baltimoreans. These differences have resulted in particularly drastic health disparities. Also, in my volunteer experiences I have seen firsthand the campaigns to improve infant mortality rates and am surprised they have not had more success. I would like to analyze the true cause of this problem and brainstorm possible effective solutions.

I chose to focus on the years 2006-2008 because I wanted to focus on a problem that was still relevant but also wanted to ensure that enough data would be available. By focusing on the years 2006-2008, I can address a problem which is still a significant issue in Baltimore while using reliable information.