BIRTH WEIGHT
Low Birth Weight
Disorders related to short gestation and low birth
weight are the second leading cause of neonatal mortality.*
In 2000, 103,407 babies (8.3 percent of all live births)
born to residents of U.S. cities with populations
over 100,000 were of low birth weight (weighing less
than 2,500 grams or 5.5 pounds). The 2000 percentage
of urban infants born at low birth weight was 9 percent
higher than the national rate of 7.6 percent.
Very Low Birth Weight
Infants born at very low birth weight (less than
1,500 grams or 3 pounds, 5 ounces) are at highest
risk for poor health outcomes. In 2000, 1.6 percent
of live births in cities with populations over 100,000
were of very low birth weight. This rate exceeded
the national very low birth weight rate by 14 percent.
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*Congenital anomalies are the leading cause of
neonatal mortality.
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