The Low Birthweight
The average weight for a newborn baby in the United States is about seven pounds.1 Approximately one in 12 U.S. babies,
however, is born with low birthweight, classified as weighing less than five pounds, eight ounces at birth.2 The complications
associated with low birthweight are numerous and can be severe. According to the Centers for Disease Control, complications
related to low birthweight are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States.3 Low birthweight also puts newborn
babies at increased risk for a variety of acute health complications after birth, including respiratory distress syndrome and heart
problems. Very low birthweight babies (those born weighing less than three pounds, four ounces) may suffer from long-term
neurological and developmental disabilities.4
The two primary reasons babies are born with low birthweight are premature birth (defined as a birth taking place before 37 full weeks of pregnancy) or a fetal growth restriction – a problem that occurs when a baby does not grow in the womb at a normal rate.5,6 A number of risk factors increase the likelihood that
a woman will give birth to a low birthweight baby, including smoking, drinking or using illicit drugs during pregnancy, inadequate maternal weight gain during
pregnancy or chronic maternal health problems such as high blood pressure or
diabetes.7 Additionally, women giving birth to multiples are more likely to have a
low birthweight baby than women with single-baby births. Research shows that
more than half of multiple birth babies are born with low birthweight, compared
to six percent of single birth babies.8
Research has uncovered a number of disparities in the prevalence of low-weight births among women from different racial,
socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. The low-weight birth rate among black women is particularly troubling, for a variety
of reasons that researchers have yet to comprehend. In 2009, the rate of low-weight births for black women in the U.S. was
nearly twice as high as the rate for non-Hispanic white women.9 Low-income women, women under the age of 17 and women
lacking education also face an increased risk of giving birth to a low birthweight baby.10
Nationally, low birthweight babies represented 8.2 percent of all live births in 2008.11 In the same year, low birthweight babies
represented 8.9 percent of all live births in Colorado, giving the state the 12th highest rate of low-weight births in the country.12
Consistent with the national trend, the percentage of low birthweight babies among black women in Colorado is
disproportionately high, with nearly 15 percent of all live births in 2008 resulting in low birthweight babies.
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Comments (5)
Khalid Khan5
Welcome to my home
Thanks alot you all for your pretty comments.
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Yes Neville I knew that this was from so medical study. I also know that very few medical studies are truly accurate. Medical researchers usually got into these studies to prove their theories and will base them heavily on the data they can find that supports their theories. The number of healthy babies born with low birth weight is far smaller than the number of Premature babies born with low birth weight. Premature babies have more health problems and a higher mortality weight. My older b
Philippe Moisan16
Tutorial videos, sci-fi writer
Just by reading the first few lines, I had guessed it was copied from elsewhere. Thanks for confirming that, Nev. I hope Khalid decides to take information as inspiration to write articles with his own words, it's better for branding oneself.
Neville Dinning10
Independent Consultant
Any conclusions made from statistical data are going to contain generalizations. Individual cases can often be found that defy the statistics. The original content from which this "article" is copied, along with the footnote reference numbers, was published by health professionals. Unfortunately Khalid selected just a small section of the original and omitted to reference that publication from Colorado's Children Campaign.
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
I think that there are generalizations being made here. Not all low birth rate babies are 'at risk' The weight is not the issue the general health of the newborn is. My daughter weighed 5lbs 4 oz when she was born and grew in accordance with her projected growth chart. Her health was never an issue. I think there's too much of people posting 'medical' articles on the site. Leave it to the obstetrician to decide if a woman is having prenatal development problems.