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 2000 to 2020 between 6.4% and 7.8%. The rate increased slightly from 2019 to 2020 (from 7.4% to 7.5%) and 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 had the highest rate in 2020 (9.6%) while Greene had the lowest (5%). Among local areas for which data were available, the Village of Kiryas Joel had the lowest rate at 4.2% in 2020, while the City of Beacon (11%) had the highest rate.

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
200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Region6.5%6.4%6.6%6.5%7.2%7.8%7.4%7.2%7.8%7.3%7.1%7.4%7.3%7.3%7.8%7.0%7.2%6.9%6.7%7.4%7.5%
Columbia7.3%6.9%6.2%6.9%8.5%7.0%7.4%7.7%8.3%9.4%6.2%7.5%7.9%6.1%8.1%5.7%3.9%6.5%6.4%6.3%7.7%
Dutchess6.6%6.1%7.0%6.7%6.3%7.5%7.6%7.1%7.2%7.1%6.6%7.5%7.0%7.3%8.6%7.3%7.2%8.1%6.9%7.4%7.6%
Greene7.9%7.7%5.9%6.3%7.4%12.1%5.9%13.1%9.3%10.0%9.5%8.4%8.5%6.2%8.8%6.6%8.7%7.8%6.2%8.6%5.0%
Orange6.6%6.0%6.1%6.4%7.0%7.7%6.7%6.8%7.5%7.1%6.4%7.4%7.4%7.3%6.9%6.4%7.3%6.2%6.6%7.1%7.3%
Putnam5.9%6.7%7.2%5.9%7.0%7.5%8.3%7.1%9.3%6.7%8.4%7.2%9.4%7.5%8.1%7.1%7.2%6.6%7.0%5.5%7.2%
Sullivan6.6%7.1%6.7%8.0%7.3%7.8%9.7%8.3%9.3%8.5%10.1%9.5%8.3%9.0%9.0%9.8%7.7%7.3%6.7%9.4%9.6%
Ulster6.2%6.9%6.9%5.7%8.5%8.3%8.1%6.7%7.8%6.7%7.3%5.9%5.4%7.0%7.9%7.1%7.1%7.4%7.1%8.5%7.5%
NYS (excluding NYC)7.3%7.0%7.5%7.4%7.6%7.7%7.9%7.7%7.6%7.7%7.7%7.8%7.5%7.5%7.7%7.5%7.6%7.7%7.7%7.7%7.8%
U.S.7.6%7.7%7.8%7.9%8.1%8.2%8.3%8.2%8.2%8.2%8.1%8.1%8.0%8.0%8.0%8.1%8.2%8.3%8.3%8.3%8.2%
Dutchess Cities
Beacon city, Dutchess County7.5%6.3%3.4%6.8%4.9%9.3%8.7%7.7%7.8%6.8%2.3%6.7%8.6%10.0%11.4%
Poughkeepsie city, Dutchess County7.6%9.0%9.4%8.3%9.6%8.6%9.4%9.5%7.9%11.3%9.5%9.5%7.6%9.3%10.4%
Orange Cities
Middletown city, Orange County9.5%7.2%7.9%10.3%6.3%10.0%9.0%9.3%8.7%7.3%8.0%7.4%9.3%8.9%10.7%
Newburgh city, Orange County8.5%7.3%8.8%8.5%8.3%7.7%10.0%8.0%11.1%6.6%7.8%8.0%8.5%10.6%10.3%
Orange Villages
Kiryas Joel village, Orange County3.1%4.7%5.4%4.5%5.5%5.5%3.4%3.7%5.1%4.5%4.5%2.2%3.8%4.9%4.2%
Woodbury village, Orange CountyN/AN/AN/AN/A2.9%7.3%3.8%9.4%7.6%
Ulster Cities
Kingston city, Ulster County8.3%5.8%8.0%8.3%10.1%3.8%6.7%8.6%8.9%6.9%8.2%8.1%6.8%7.7%10.1%

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
200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Region8648308598709481,0269989621,029908879875861841897800823808791886886
Columbia484137445043444551533741423340302033303036
Dutchess220197224221199238231218211207190200190190231190181211176201195
Greene383227283355266041444436352635253230273120
Orange322295308331367396365362404357322360351346333308358315333369381
Putnam708086698278867492607862786067585953594460
Sullivan556053736168947989738477797571786658578283
Ulster1111251241041561481521241411141249986111120111107108109129111
NYS (excluding NYC)10,0869,3909,9009,8229,9109,93310,23810,0059,7529,6409,4959,4099,0698,9729,2608,9659,0439,0788,9918,9478,815
U.S.307,030308,747314,077324,064331,772338,565351,974354,333347,209336,747325,563319,711315,709315,099318,847320,869321,839318,873313,752311,245297,604
Dutchess Cities
Beacon city, Dutchess County12116117141512121039131415
Poughkeepsie city, Dutchess County394847435244444536493841324342
Orange Cities
Middletown city, Orange County484042523046414032303029363439
Newburgh city, Orange County564659594943514451323938374344
Orange Villages
Kiryas Joel village, Orange County173643334546303354515426476859
Woodbury village, Orange County00003941010
Ulster Cities
Kingston city, Ulster County292228273312222527212523182026

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


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