- A baby born at a low birth weight is one who weighs less than 2,500 grams (5½ pounds or less).
- Low birth weight contributes to many long-term health and behavioral risks, including diabetes and obesity, and is associated with higher rates of infant death.
- Colorado has one of the highest low birth weight rates in the nation.
- In 2012, 8.8 percent of Colorado babies were born at a low birth weight.
- The Healthy People 2020 goal for the nation is 7.8 percent.
Resources
- Webinar: Risk Factors for Low Birth Weight in Colorado (September 2011).
- Making Progress on Tipping the Scales: Update 2011.
- Tipping the Scales: Low Birth Weight Problem in Colorado (August 2000).
- Reducing Low Birth Weight by Resolving Risks: Results From Colorado's Prenatal Plus Program.
- American Journal of Public Health, November 2005, Vol. 95, No. 11, 1952-1956.
- The Effects of the Prenatal Plus Program on Low Birth Weight and Medicaid Costs.