Percentages of babies born at low birth weight have been on the increase, especially in the United States. The standard weight for an average newborn is about eight pounds; babies born at low birthweight are those whose weights are 2500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at the time of birth. There are also those babies whose weights are below 1500 grams – these are referred to as very low birth weight. Babies born at low birthweight are usually as a result of being born too early (prematurity) and growing too slowly in the womb (intrauterine growth). Substance abuse and multiple gestations have also been found out to result in babies born underweight. Babies born with low birthweight may be physically immature and are usually small, their heads may appear bigger compared to the rest of their body (Jin, 2015).
Researchers have determined a strong correlation between birthweight and risk for complications. The lower the weight at birth, the higher the chances of complications. At birth, their tiny bodies are weak, and so are their immune systems. The small infant faces troubles in eating and fighting infections. This makes them prone to problems such as:
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Incapability to maintain body temperature.
Lack of protection against infections.
Breathing problems because of their immature lungs (for prematurity cases).
Inability to feed and get enough nutrition.
Future developmental delays or retardation.
Sudden Death Infant Syndrome (SDIS).
A study by Stanford Children’s Health in the United States concluded that over 8% of all newborn babies have low birthweight, and 1.4% had very low birthweight. This is quite a high statistic for the U.S. as it goes contrary to the belief that babies born in developed countries such as the US, were less likely to be underweight, compared to those in developing and third world countries (Torres-Arreola et al., 2005). Other than location and economic status, the race has always been believed to be a significant determinant of an infant’s birth weight. Babies born to African – American parents are considered to be twice high likely to have low birthweight compared to those born to white parents. To prove the first hypotheses, we’ll examine the statistics of low birthweight in America, with two other countries, Mexico and South Africa. This choice of nations provides the optimum condition as it spans across three races: Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics.
Compared to America’s 8% low birthweight, a recent study done in South Africa have reported a low birthweight rate of 9%. Meaning that about 1 out of every ten children is born weighing less than 2500 grams. The highest low birthweight rate is recorded by the Northern Cape Province with a rate of 24% (Berry & Hendricks, 2009). This statistic exceeds by far, the highest low birthweight rate recorded in the US which is 11.4% in Mississippi. The low birthweight for Mexico ranges between 8% and 12%, this depends on the geographical region and socio-economic levels, and their reported mean is about 8.6% (Torres-Arreola et al., 2005). This makes them the middle between America, a country of the first world, and South Africa, a county of the third world. Mexico which is a developing country has the average low birthweight rate of these two countries on the extreme opposites. Birth weight is therefore very highly dependent on geographical regions.
For the comparison of low birth weight between white and African – Americans, we’ll compare the statistics for Vermont, Mississippi and New Mexico. Vermont is a state with about 90% of the population made up of white people; Mississippi is a state with about 38% of the population made up of black people while New Mexico is a state made up of about 48% Hispanics. Vermont has a low birthweight rate of 6.6%, Mississippi has a low birthweight rate of 11.4%, and New Mexico has a low birthweight rate of 8.7% (Berry & Hendricks, 2009). This proves beyond reasonable doubt, the hypothesis about low birthweight rates being according to race. The state of Mississippi which is the state with the highest African – American population recorded the highest low birthweight rate. Vermont which is considered one of the ‘whitest’ states in America is among the states with the least low birthweight rates. Their rates are way below the mean. This proves the theory; white infants weigh higher than African – American infants. This observation might is most likely to be due to the difference in the socio-economic environments in which these two categories of people exist.
In the final comparison, we will compare low birthweight rates across different counties within the state of Alabama. This state has one of the highest infant-underweight rates in the US. We’ll focus on three counties Shelby, Washington, and Wilcox. Shelby has the least low birthweight rate in this category, and generally among the other counties in Alabama. It records 8%. Washington has 10%, which is about the state average rate and Wilcox, 14% – the highest recorded rate among all the other counties. The average income for persons living in these cities is $25,002, $20,737 and $23,750 respectively ( Default - Stanford Children's Health, n.d. ). Even though there are only a small range of the per capita incomes of the three states, Shelby, which is one of the best financially performing counties emerges with the least low birthweight rate. This shows that the birthweight rates highly depend on the economic status of the place.
The table below summarizes the low birth rates discussed in this study, by country, state, and county.
| Country | Average low birthweight rate | Maximum low birthweight rate | Minimum low birthweight rate |
| United States of America | 8% | 11.40% | 5.80% |
| Mexico | 8.6% | 12% | 8% |
| South Africa | 9% | 24% | 9% |
Table 1: Summary by country
| State | Average low birthweight rate |
| Vermont |
7% |
| Mexico |
8.70% |
| Mississippi |
11% |
Table 2: Summary by state
| County | Average low birthweight rate |
| Shelby |
8% |
| Washington |
10% |
| Wilcox |
14% |
Table 3: Summary by county
This study manages to shed more light on the social issue of the alarming large percentage of babies born with low birthweights. It goes without saying that steps and strategies should be put in place to ensure a reduction of these numbers. The issue of heterogeneity among various populations remains a challenge in this worldwide quest for decreasing the low birthweight rates ( Percentage of Babies Born Low Birthweight by State, 2017 ). Results of research and studies performed are usually applicable to just one category of persons and not the others. It is thus recommendable that future research is carried out in a manner that puts into consideration the geographical aspect, race, culture, and the socio-economic context of every group.
Part III
The information attained in this study can be used in the creation of different maternal health policies at the local, state and even national level. Socio-economic factors that cause the differences in low birth rate could be looked into to, to ensure uniform performance countywide. Specific geophysical factors such as Factories which could be polluting the air hence affecting pregnant women could also be dealt with per location.
One policy that could bring a positive impact on cases of babies with low birthweight is offering expectant mothers free prenatal care. Through these clinic visits, the caregivers can help prevent cases of low birthweight among infants. Most expectant mothers barely have prenatal care due to the high expenses.
This comparison is relevant to the ecological model in that it looks into various groups of people in relation to their environments of residence. Differences may exist because of people’s physical surrounding, pollution, political, or cultural practices, and socio-economic status. This study explains these differences by studying each of these models.
Sources
Statistics on Children on South Africa - Nutrition - Low birth-weight
Socioeconomic factors and low birth weight in Mexico.
Percentage of Babies Born Low Birthweight By State
One ethical consideration that could be made when cross comparing social indicators is maintaining sensitivity to cultural and social differences.
References
Torres-Arreola, L. P., Constantino-Casas, P., Flores-Hernández, S., Villa-Barragán, J. P., & Rendón-Macías, E. (2005, March 03). Socioeconomic factors and low birth weight in Mexico. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-20
Percentage of Babies Born Low Birthweight by State (2017, January 09). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/lbw_births/lbw.htm
Jin, J. (2015). Babies
with Low Birth Weight. Jama , 313 (4), 432-432.
Berry, L., & Hendricks, M. (2009, October). Statistics on Children on South Africa - Nutrition - Low birth-weight. Retrieved from https://www.childrencount.org.za/indicator.php?id=4&indicator=33
Default - Stanford Children's Health. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=low-birthweight-90-P02382
