Health
Low Birth Weight Babies

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Low Birth Weight Babies

What does this measure?

The proportion of babies born with low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams or about 5.5 pounds) out of all live births.

Why is this important?

Low birth weight is a leading predictor of neonatal death. Low birth-weight infants are also more likely than normal birth-weight infants to experience long-term developmental and neurological disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that maternal smoking is the cause of 20% to 30% of all low-weight births in the United States.

How is the region performing?

The proportion of babies with low birth weight in the region has remained fairly steady from 2010 to 2022, varying from 6.7% to 7.8%. The rate increased slightly from 2021 to 2022 (from 7.2% to 7.5%) but is lower than the peak of 7.8% in 2014. The region's rates have typically been lower than statewide rates (excluding NYC). Of the region's counties, Sullivan and Ulster had the highest rate in 2022 (8.7% and 8.5%. respectively) while Columbia had the lowest (5.7%). Sullivan went from having the lowest rate in 2021 to the highest rate in 2022. Among local areas for which data were available, the Woodbury Village (Orange County) had the lowest rate at 3.3% in 2022, while the City of Kingston (Ulster County) had the highest rate at 12.1%.

Notes about the data

Rates based upon small numbers in some of the geographies can vary widely, making it difficult to distinguish true changes from random fluctuations.

Low Birth Weight Babies
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Region7.1%7.4%7.3%7.3%7.8%7.0%7.2%6.9%6.7%7.4%7.5%7.2%7.5%
Columbia6.2%7.5%7.9%6.1%8.1%5.7%3.9%6.5%6.4%6.3%7.7%7.1%5.7%
Dutchess6.6%7.5%7.0%7.3%8.6%7.3%7.2%8.1%6.9%7.4%7.6%8.3%7.3%
Greene9.5%8.4%8.5%6.2%8.8%6.6%8.7%7.8%6.2%8.6%5.0%8.5%7.1%
Orange6.4%7.4%7.4%7.3%6.9%6.4%7.3%6.2%6.6%7.1%7.3%6.5%7.4%
Putnam8.4%7.2%9.4%7.5%8.1%7.1%7.2%6.6%7.0%5.5%7.2%8.1%6.6%
Sullivan10.1%9.5%8.3%9.0%9.0%9.8%7.7%7.3%6.7%9.4%9.6%6.2%8.7%
Ulster7.3%5.9%5.4%7.0%7.9%7.1%7.1%7.4%7.1%8.5%7.5%7.6%8.5%
NYS (excluding NYC)7.7%7.8%7.5%7.5%7.7%7.5%7.6%7.7%7.7%7.7%7.8%7.9%8.1%
U.S.8.1%8.1%8.0%8.0%8.0%8.1%8.2%8.3%8.3%8.3%8.2%8.5%8.6%
Dutchess Cities
Beacon city, Dutchess County4.9%9.3%8.7%7.7%7.8%6.8%2.3%6.7%8.6%10.0%11.4%11.6%3.4%
Poughkeepsie city, Dutchess County9.6%8.6%9.4%9.5%7.9%11.3%9.5%9.5%7.6%9.3%10.4%12.3%10.7%
Orange Cities
Middletown city, Orange County6.3%10.0%9.0%9.3%8.7%7.3%8.0%7.4%9.3%8.9%10.7%9.1%9.6%
Newburgh city, Orange County8.3%7.7%10.0%8.0%11.1%6.6%7.8%8.0%8.5%10.6%10.3%9.7%9.0%
Orange Villages
Kiryas Joel village, Orange County5.5%5.5%3.4%3.7%5.1%4.5%4.5%2.2%3.8%4.9%4.2%3.5%5.6%
Woodbury village, Orange CountyN/AN/AN/AN/A2.9%7.3%3.8%9.4%7.6%3.4%3.3%
Ulster Cities
Kingston city, Ulster County10.1%3.8%6.7%8.6%8.9%6.9%8.2%8.1%6.8%7.7%10.1%7.6%12.1%

Source: New York State Department of Health
Notes: The benchmark for low birth weight is 2500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds.




Number of Low Birth Weight Babies
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Region879875861841897800823808791886886905926
Columbia37414233403020333030363427
Dutchess190200190190231190181211176201195220191
Greene44363526352532302731203327
Orange322360351346333308358315333369381365405
Putnam78627860675859535944607460
Sullivan84777975717866585782836085
Ulster1249986111120111107108109129111119131
NYS (excluding NYC)9,4959,4099,0698,9729,2608,9659,0439,0788,9918,9478,8159,3299,304
U.S.325,563319,711315,709315,099318,847320,869321,839318,873313,752311,245297,604311,932314,756
Dutchess Cities
Beacon city, Dutchess County7141512121039131415174
Poughkeepsie city, Dutchess County52444445364938413243424642
Orange Cities
Middletown city, Orange County30464140323030293634393233
Newburgh city, Orange County49435144513239383743444138
Orange Villages
Kiryas Joel village, Orange County45463033545154264768595486
Woodbury village, Orange County0000394101055
Ulster Cities
Kingston city, Ulster County33122225272125231820262232

Source: New York State Department of Health
Notes: The benchmark for low birth weight is 2500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds.




INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Children Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Single-Parent Families Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Rate of Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Maintaining
Teen Pregnancy Decreasing
Voter Registration Rate Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Decreasing
Total Population Increasing
Population by Age Decreasing
Population by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Household Types Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Increasing
Spending for County Government Maintaining
Tourism Revenue Maintaining
Preschoolers Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Prekindergarten Participation Increasing
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Per-Student Spending Maintaining
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Student Group Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Race/Ethnicity Maintaining
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Student Group Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Dropout Rate Decreasing
High School GED Rate Maintaining
Education Levels of Adults Increasing
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Maintaining
People Living in Poverty Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Seniors Living in Poverty Increasing
Veterans Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Increasing
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Maintaining
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Increasing
Households Receiving SNAP Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Food Insecurity Not Applicable
Deaths from Drug Overdoses Increasing
Babies with Low Birth Weights Maintaining
Newly Diagnosed Cases of HIV Decreasing
People Living wth HIV Increasing
Mental Health Clinic Visits Maintaining
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing
Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Cost of Rent Increasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Violent Crimes Decreasing
Homeless Persons Decreasing
Domestic Violence Maintaining
Arrest Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Population by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Race/Ethnicity Maintaining
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Arrest Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rates, by Race/Ethnicity Decreasing


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