Vital Reports

Welcome to the fifth update of the New Mexico County Health Profiles. This publication is dedicated to users of county-level data as well as to those who contributed data, suggestions, interpretations, and comments. Thanks to so many of you, there are many improvements in this year’s version.

Welcome to the fifth update of the New Mexico County Health Profiles. This publication is dedicated to users of county-level data as well as to those who contributed data, suggestions, interpretations, and comments. Thanks to so many of you, there are many improvements in this year’s version.

Welcome to the fifth update of the New Mexico County Health Profiles. This publication is dedicated to users of county-level data as well as to those who contributed data, suggestions, interpretations, and comments. Thanks to so many of you, there are many improvements in this year’s version.

This report focuses on risk factors and infant mortality trends by maternal and infant characteristics in the State of New Mexico using the 1997-1999 linked birth and death data set.

Medicaid-paid births were evaluated for relationship with select indicators of medical care access and utilization and impact on infant health. The infant health indicators were low birth weight and preterm births. Statistically, Medicaid indicators relate to preterm births and low birth weight. Mother’s medical and behavioral risk factors were the only factors that significantly interacted with Medicaid indicators to affect preterm birth and low birth weight.

In 1919, the first meeting of the State Board of Health of New Mexico was held during the Larrazolo administration and the Division of Public Health Nursing was created. The Board’s budget for fiscal year 1921 was only $16,700.16, with $2000 allocated to fight infectious diseases. State funding was so limited that the first Chief of the Division of Tuberculosis, Clinton P. Anderson, served without pay.

Highlight material from the New Mexico selected health statistics annual report for 2000.

The rate of cremation as final disposition for deceased people has increased by 50 percent since 1990 in New Mexico. According to the New Mexico Department of Health’s "Final Disposition of Persons Dying in New Mexico, 1980-1998," in 1998, 34.3 percent of deceased people were cremated; in 1990 that proportion was 22.4 percent and in 1980 it was 10.7 percent.