Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Very Low Birth Weight by County of Residence among Singletons, New Jersey, 2018-2022
Indicator Report Data View Options
Very Low Birth Weight by County of Residence among Singletons, New Jersey, 2018-2022
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 1,500 grams (approximately 3 lbs, 5 oz.)
Data Notes
Very low birth weight among singletons is Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Indicator RBO-14.Data Sources
- Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/) - Natality public-use data, CDC WONDER On-line Database, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://wonder.cdc.gov/natality.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator:
Number of singleton live births with a birth weight of less than 1,500 gramsDenominator:
Number of singleton live births
Related Health Objectives and Indicators
Health Initiative: HP2020
Healthy People 2020 Objective MICH-8.2
U.S. Target: Reduce very low birth weight (VLBW) to 1.4 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-2b
NJ Target: Reduce very low birth weight to 1.4 percent for the total population, 1.0% for Asians, 2.9% for Blacks, 1.3% for Hispanics, and 1.1% 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