Statistics
Low
Birth Weight
Newborns weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces have a “low birth weight.” Low
birth weight babies are 40 times more likely to die during the first months
of life. Those that survive are 2-3 times more likely to suffer from a lifelong
handicap or disability. Low birth weight usually occurs when babies are born
too early.
Low
Birth Weight Statistics
MedCost
Our SmartStarts maternity education and nurse mentoring program has a low
birth rate of 6.5%. This compares very favorably to the national average
of 8.2%. As described below, both North Carolina and South Carolina
have low birth weight averages that are even higher than the national
average.
In light of this, MedCost’s average is even more impressive.
MedCost
SmartStarts
Program
Low
Birth Weight Statistics
MedCost:
6.5%
National:
8.3%
North
Carolina 9.2%
South
Carolina 10.2%
|
The low birth weight information below is from the March of Dimes Peristats
Web site (www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/),
retrieved on December 15, 2005. The data on PeriStats originates from
multiple agencies. Sources for this data are listed at the bottom of
every page that includes graphs, maps, tables, and data used in context.
North
Carolina
