"Minority Health Indicators 2008" (.pdf), Kansas City, Mo., Health Department: The updated report documents Kansas City's progress toward eliminating health disparities between 1991 and 2005. According to the report, the updated data provide a "mixed message." While mortality rates improved or stabilized among non-Hispanic blacks, there was little improvement when compared with non-Hispanic whites. The report also found that mortality rates among Hispanics have been narrowing and approaching that of non-Hispanic whites. The report also found no improvement in fetal mortality for non-Hispanic blacks, and although infant mortality rates improved for both non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks, disparity ratios widened. In addition, the report indicated a significant overall increase in births to Hispanics teenagers; repeat pregnancies decreased among non-Hispanic black teenagers, but there was little improvement in the disparity ratios. The report found that a range of factors, including health insurance, access to quality care, personal decisions, behaviors and environments, affected health disparities (Kansas City, Mo., Health Department, "Minority Health Indicators 2008," June 2008).