fant mortality and low birthweight comprise the third most pressing health-care problem for African-Americans and Hispanics, which have the first and second highest rates of infant death in the United States.
The World Health Organization (Hamilton, 1991) reports that there are numerous causes of infant mortality. They include: infective and parasitic diseases; tuberculosis; neoplasms; gastrointestinal tract cancer; diseases of the nervous system and sense organs; diseases of the circulatory system (e.g., cerebrovascular disease, diseases of the arteries); diseases of the respiratory system (e.g., pneumonia); diseases of the digestive system; diseases of the genito-urinary system; accidents, poisoning and violence (e.g., motor vehicle accidents, accidents of an industrial nature); "Other"; and a variety of causes of perinatal mortality. To these, Peters (1991) adds that crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, other illegal drugs, and alcohol and tobacco significantly contribute to, if not cause, infant
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