The Declining Contribution of Socioeconomic Disparities to the Racial Gap in Infant Mortality Rates, 1920-1970‪.‬

1. Introduction Great improvements in physical health are among the 20th century's most impressive social achievements. In the United States, life expectancy at birth increased by more than 25 years (Atack and Passell 1994), average height increased by about 7 centimeters for native-born white males (Costa and Steckel 1997), and a number of deadly diseases and debilitating illnesses were all but vanquished. As the population's overall level of health improved, racial gaps in health outcomes persisted. Such gaps remain a serious concern for U.S. policymakers (Department of Health and Human Services 2000; Levine et al. 2001; Byrd and Clayton 2002). In large part, this is because physical health is a direct determinant of well being. Additionally, because one's health may influence educational attainment, labor force participation and productivity, and one's children's health, the consequences of intergroup health disparities may be quite far reaching (Grossman 1975; Edwards and Grossman 1979; Currie and Hyson 1999).