ABSTRACT
The field of child development has had relatively limited involvement in national efforts to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes in the United States (U.S). The particular orientation of the public health field in the United States needn’t have followed this more medically oriented model to reduce infant mortality. Infant mortality, or any poor birth outcome, is not a function of solely one factor, maternal risk. The social expression of infant mortality is thus more complex than simply looking at correlates of poor birth outcomes; and efforts to reduce infant mortality are more complex than simply “lessening” maternal risk. The child development field, as a field, could make a substantial theoretical and practical contribution to the study and understanding of maternal risk. The Maternal and Child Health field, within Public Health, has the unique mission to develop, implement and assess ameliorative interventions for mothers, children, and families; including compensating for the ill health effects of poverty.
