Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Low Birth Weight by Mother's Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey, 1990 to 2022
Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Low birth weight (LBW) increases the risk for infant morbidity and mortality. LBW infants are at greater risk of dying in the first month of life. LBW infants may require intensive care at birth and are at higher risk of developmental disabilities and chronic illnesses throughout life. They are more likely to require special education services. Health care costs and length of hospital stay are higher for LBW infants.
Definition
Percent of live births with a birth weight of less than 2,500 grams (approximately 5 lbs, 8 oz).
Data Notes
This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective MCH-2a. Data for White, Black, and Asian do not include Hispanics. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race.Data Source
Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator:
Number of live births with a birth weight of less than 2,500 gramsDenominator:
Total number of live births
Related Health Objectives and Indicators
Health Initiative: HP2020
Healthy People 2020 Objective MICH-8.1
U.S. Target: Reduce low birth weight (LBW) to 7.8 percent of live births by 2020
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/maternal-infant-and-child-health
Health Initiative: HNJ2020
Healthy NJ 2020 Objective MCH-2a
NJ Target: Reduce low birth weight to 7.7 percent for the total population, 7.9% for Asians, 12.4% for Blacks, 7.1% for Hispanics, and 6.0% for Whites by 2020
https://www.nj.gov/health/chs/hnj2020/topics/maternal-child-health.shtml
Health Initiative: EPHT
Environmental Public Health Tracking Indicator RBO-14
Description: Low (< 2500 grams) and very low (< 1500 grams) birth weight among singleton births
https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/indicatorPages?selectedContentAreaAbbreviation=8&selectedIndicatorId=14