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Low Birthweight Births
Low Birthweight Births is the percent of all births in which the infant
weighed less than 2,500 grams. Birthweight is a key indicator of the health
and viability of a newborn infant. Those infants who have a birthweight under
2,500 grams (about 5 1/2 pounds) are at greater risk of death or of incurring
long-term illness or disability. The Infant Mortality Rate of infants under
1,500 grams is more than 60 times higher than for infants weighing 2,500 grams
or more. Even infants weighing between 1,500 and 2,499 grams have an infant
mortality rate more than five times as high as normal weight infants.
As an infant health measure, birthweight has many advantages. It is available
for every infant and it is entirely objective. The data are continuously
distributed, ranging from less than 500 grams to more than 6,000 grams.
Low Birthweight Births are calculated as a percent of all births. For
example, of the 36,356 births in Arkansas in 1996, 3,078 weighed less than
2,500 grams. The Percent Low Birthweight = 3,078 / 36,356 X 100 = 8.5
percent. In the United States in 1996, 7.4 percent of all births weighed less
than 2500 grams.
Low birthweight births in Arkansas are clustered principally in a band
stretching from Jefferson County northeast to Mississippi County. For the
1992-1996 period, the percentage of low birthweight births ranged from a low
of 4.7 percent in Montgomery County to a high of 12.1 percent in Prairie
County.
ADH Management Area 9 had the highest average proportion of low birthweight
births from 1992-1996 at 10.6 percent. Areas 6, 7, and 8 also averaged 9.0 or
above. Health Management Areas 1 and 3 had low average percentages at 6.7
percent.
For Arkansas, the long-term trend in low birthweight has been extremely
stable. From 1990 through 1995, the percent of low birthweight births in
Arkansas remained unchanged at 8.2 percent. Calendar year 1996 showed a
slight increase to 8.5 percent. Nationally, the percent of low birthweight
births has risen slightly since the mid 80's. 1996's national low
birthweight percent of 7.4 was the highest reported in more than two decades.
The National Center for Health Statistics attributes much of the increase to a
rise in low birthweight births among Whites.
There is a much higher incidence of low birthweight births among Blacks than
among Whites, both nationally and in Arkansas. For Black Arkansans, the five
year average percent of low birthweight births was 13.1, compared to 6.8 for
White Arkansans. One contributing factor for the higher rate among Black
infants is that they are much more likely to have been born prematurely.
Black mothers are also more likely to have a low weight gain during pregnancy.
Nationally, low birthweight births to Black mothers have been declining since
1993. In Arkansas, however, low birthweight births to Black mothers have
shown a slight steady increase since 1993.
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