From the Associated Press today

Study Focuses on Infant Mortality

(c) The Associated Press

 By SCOTT MOONEYHAM

RALEIGH, N.C.  (AP) - Parents who take a year off after a child's birth may
sharply increase their child's chances of survival, according to a study of
European policies released Monday.

The study by Christopher Ruhm of the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro examined child mortality rates and parental leave policies in nine
Western European nations.

Ruhm, who specializes in studying labor and health issues, estimated a
mortality reduction of 20.1 percent to 29.1 percent if 50 weeks of leave are
granted; a 15.6 to 25.2 percent reduction with 40 weeks; and a 5 percent to 12
percent reduction at 30 weeks.

``There is fairly strong evidence that this is a parental leave effect rather
than something else,'' he said, but cautioned against comparing parental leave
policies in Western Europe and the United States.

``These (countries) are very different institutionally and culturally,'' Ruhm
said.  ``It's hard to know how directly these systems correlate.''

But a Washington, D.C.-based statistician who acts as a watchdog of scientific
studies questioned Ruhm's results.

``He hasn't done anything special here to show me he has excluded other
causes,'' Steve Milloy said.

Milloy, who produces an Internet site called ``Junk Science,'' said infant
mortality is falling worldwide, even in less developed nations like Mexico
without parental leave policies.

Ruhm said his study shows only that parental leave is one factor in reducing
infant mortality and that European nations have had steeper declines over the
past 25 years than the United States.

``I'm certainly not claiming that parental leave policies are the main reason
or even the major reason for the lower rates in these countries,'' Ruhm said.
``The (study) results, though, do suggest parental leave can have some health
benefits and reduce mortality.''

Ruhm said generous parental leave policies may give parents more time to
attend to their child's health and guard against accidents. Mothers may also
breast-feed longer when given longer leaves, he said.  Other studies have
shown breast-feeding helps ward off childhood sickness.

``We don't know the answer to `why.' The study doesn't look at the mechanisms.
I think the parental time is a key factor in the health of children,'' Ruhm
said. ``SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and accidents, these are the kinds
of things that parental time and parental monitoring could play a role in
preventing.''

The study, submitted to the American Economic Review, examined parental leave
policies and infant mortality in Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Norway, the Federal Republic of Germany and Sweden from 1969 until
1994.  Research focused on the post-neonatal period, from the 28th day after
birth through the first year.

Of the nine countries he studied, only Greece had an infant mortality rate as
high as the rate in the United States. In both countries, 7.9 infants per
1,000 born died before their first birthday in both countries in 1994.

Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden, Germany and Norway all recorded infant
mortality rates below 6.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1994. Sweden, which
has the most generous parental leave policies of all the countries studied,
saw the fewest infant deaths - 4.3 per 1,000 live births.

AP-NY-07-20-98 2228EDT