Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Low Birth Weight by Year, New Jersey and the United States, 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. Confidence limits are not available for U.S. data. In 2010, for the first time, the New York City Department of Health provided birth weight data for New Jersey residents who delivered in NYC. This additional information is the cause of the sudden increase in LBW beginning in 2010.Data Sources
- Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/) - National Vital Statistics Reports, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm)
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