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 2021, varying from 6.4% to 7.8%. The rate decreased slightly from 2020 to 2021 (from 7.5% to 7.2%) 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, Greene had the highest rate in 2021 (8.5%) while Sullivan had the lowest (6.2%). Among local areas for which data were available, the Woodbury Village had the lowest rate at 3.4% in 2021, while the City of Poughkeepsie (12.3%) 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
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
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%7.2%
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%7.1%
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%8.3%
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%8.5%
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%6.5%
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%8.1%
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%6.2%
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%7.6%
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%7.9%
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%8.5%
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%11.6%
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%12.3%
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%9.1%
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%9.7%
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%3.5%
Woodbury village, Orange CountyN/AN/AN/AN/A2.9%7.3%3.8%9.4%7.6%3.4%
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%7.6%

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
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Region8648308598709481,0269989621,029908879875861841897800823808791886886905
Columbia48413744504344455153374142334030203330303634
Dutchess220197224221199238231218211207190200190190231190181211176201195220
Greene38322728335526604144443635263525323027312033
Orange322295308331367396365362404357322360351346333308358315333369381365
Putnam70808669827886749260786278606758595359446074
Sullivan55605373616894798973847779757178665857828360
Ulster1111251241041561481521241411141249986111120111107108109129111119
NYS (excluding NYC)10,0869,3909,9009,8229,9109,93310,23810,0059,7529,6409,4959,4099,0698,9729,2608,9659,0439,0788,9918,9478,8159,329
U.S.307,030308,747314,077324,064331,772338,565351,974354,333347,209336,747325,563319,711315,709315,099318,847320,869321,839318,873313,752311,245297,604311,932
Dutchess Cities
Beacon city, Dutchess County1211611714151212103913141517
Poughkeepsie city, Dutchess County39484743524444453649384132434246
Orange Cities
Middletown city, Orange County48404252304641403230302936343932
Newburgh city, Orange County56465959494351445132393837434441
Orange Villages
Kiryas Joel village, Orange County17364333454630335451542647685954
Woodbury village, Orange County000039410105
Ulster Cities
Kingston city, Ulster County29222827331222252721252318202622

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 Increasing
Single-Parent Families Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Rate of Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Decreasing
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
Employment by Sector Not Applicable
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 Maintaining
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 Decreasing
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 Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Cost of Rent Increasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Violent Crimes Decreasing
Homeless Persons Decreasing
Domestic Violence Decreasing
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 Increasing
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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