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-----Original Message----- The NPEU has recently completed a programme of work for the Department of Health to help strengthen the evidence base for interventions to reduce infant mortality and narrow the health inequalities gap. A number of the outputs from this programme are now available for download from the NPEU website: http://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/infant-mortality These reports will be of interest to public health practitioners and commissioners, particularly those responsible for commissioning maternal and neonatal services and public health programmes. The available reports include: 1. Two systematic reviews examining the effectiveness of: * interventions involving alternative ways of organising or delivering antenatal care as a means of reducing infant mortality and its major causes (particularly preterm birth) in disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of women * interventions to increase the early initiation of antenatal care in disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of women 2. An infant mortality 'evidence map' which provides a comprehensive descriptive overview of the systematic review literature relating to the effectiveness of interventions targeting: * infant mortality and its major medical causes (preterm birth, major congenital anomalies and SIDS/SUDI) (report available mid-February) * major potentially modifiable risk factors for infant mortality (smoking in pregnancy and the postnatal period, maternal obesity and risk factors for SIDS/SUDI) 3. A series of briefing papers: * Infant mortality: overview and context. * Health Inequalities Infant Mortality Target: technical background. * Towards an understanding of variations in infant mortality rates between different ethnic groups in England and Wales. * The contribution of congenital anomalies to infant mortality (Available March/April) We would welcome your feedback on this programme of work. Please email your comments to: [log in to unmask] Jennifer Hollowell National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit University of Oxford Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/planningAndCorporatePolicy/legalandComplianceTeam/legal/disclaimer.htm