Low birth weight

• 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.