Editing Infant mortality (section)

===Policy===
Reductions in infant mortality are possible at any stage of a country's development.<ref name="Bishai" /> Rate reductions are evidence that a country is advancing in human knowledge, social [[institutions]], and [[physical capital]]. Governments can reduce mortality rates by addressing the combined need for education (such as [[universal primary education]]), nutrition, and access to basic maternal and infant health services. Focused policies has the potential to aid those most at risk for infant and childhood mortality, including rural, poor, and migrant populations.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Farahani M, Subramanian SV, Canning D |date=June 2009 |title=The effect of changes in health sector resources on infant mortality in the short-run and the long-run: a longitudinal econometric analysis |journal=Social Science & Medicine |volume=68 |issue=11 |pages=1918–25 |doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.03.023 |pmid=19362762}}</ref>

Reducing the chances of babies being born at low birth weights and contracting pneumonia can be accomplished by improving air quality.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} Improving [[hygiene]] can prevent infant mortality. Home-based technology to [[Water chlorination|chlorinate]], filter, and use [[solar disinfection]] for organic water pollution could reduce cases of diarrhea in children by up to 48%.<ref name="Andrews" /><ref name="Nussbaum" /><ref name="Jorgenson" /> Improvements in food supplies and [[sanitation]] have been shown to work for the most vulnerable populations in the US, including among African Americans.<ref name="Gortmaker 1997" />

Promoting [[Behaviour change (public health)|behavioral changes]], such as [[hand washing]] with soap, can significantly reduce the rate of infant mortality from respiratory and diarrheal diseases.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Curtis V, Cairncross S |date=May 2003 |title=Effect of washing hands with soap on diarrhoea risk in the community: a systematic review |journal=The Lancet. Infectious Diseases |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=275–81 |doi=10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00606-6 |pmid=12726975}}</ref> According to UNICEF, hand washing with soap before eating and after using the [[toilet]] can save  children's lives by reducing deaths from diarrhea and acute respiratory infections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The State of the World's Children 2008. Child Survival. UNICEF |url=https://www.unicef.org/media/84861/file/SOWC-2008.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528174903/https://www.unicef.org/media/84861/file/SOWC-2008.pdf |archive-date=2023-05-28 |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref>

Focusing on preventing preterm and low birth weight deliveries throughout all populations can help eliminate cases of infant mortality and decrease health care disparities within communities. In the United States, these two goals have decreased regional infant mortality rates, but there has yet to be further progress on a national level.<ref name="MacDorman 2009" />

Increasing human resources such as [[physicians]], [[nurses]], and other health professionals will increase the number of skilled attendants and the number of people able to give out immunizations against diseases such as measles. Increasing the number of skilled professionals is correlated with lower maternal, infant, and childhood mortality. With the addition of one physician per 10,000 people, there is a potential for 7.08 fewer infant deaths per 10,000.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Russo LX, Scott A, Sivey P, Dias J |date=2019-05-31 |title=Primary care physicians and infant mortality: Evidence from Brazil |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=14 |issue=5 |pages=e0217614 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1417614R |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0217614 |pmc=6544253 |pmid=31150468 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In certain parts of the US, specific programs aim to reduce levels of infant mortality. One such program is the "Best Babies Zone" (BBZ), based at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. The BBZ uses the [[life course approach]] to address the structural causes of poor birth outcomes and [[toxic stress]] in three US neighborhoods. By employing community-generated solutions, the Best Babies Zone's ultimate goal is to achieve health equity in communities that are disproportionately impacted by infant mortality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Babies Zone - ACPHD |url=http://www.acphd.org/building-blocks/projects/bbz.aspx#:~:text=Best%20Babies%20Zone%20is%20a,to%20live%2015%20fewer%20years. |access-date=2020-08-03 |website=www.acphd.org}}</ref>