Percent of Low Birth Weight Babies

This indicator measures the percentage of live births that at birth weight less then 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds). This variable does not account for the few cases of births where no weight is reported.

The percentage of babies who are born with low-birth weight has not substantially changed over the last three decades of the 20^th century. Over the last thirty years the percentage decreased from 7.93% in 1970 to approximately 7.6% in 1999. This statistic however masks the disparities that exist in the percentage of low birth weight babies among different racial groups. For example the percentage of black babies who were born with low birth weight is more then double that of white babies; though there is substantially less discrepancy among the native American, Asian, and white babies. This discrepancy can be partially attributed to educational attainment. Census figures indicate that mothers with 12 or more years of education are considerable less likely to have children with low birth weigh babies then those mothers who have not completed high school. A further interesting observation about low-birth weight babies is that they seem to be less likely to occur in states west of the Mississippi then they are East of the Mississippi (see map bellow).

Data for this indicator was obtained from Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. For data for a particular year users are encouraged to consult the KIDS COUNT web site to locate the exact citations under the "Definitions and Data Sources" page.