Low Birth Weight

This data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage. For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our Environmental Health Disparities Map Report Version 3.0. Background Low birth weight (LBW) is a globally recognized marker for population health. Disparities in LBW show where there are disparities in maternal health. Because of these disparities, infants born to Black mothers are more likely to be LBW than infants born to white mothers. Programs like Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) support growth and nutrition to help address some of the disparities that lead to LBW. Risk factors associated with LBW include: Nutritional status. Prenatal care. Stress. Maternal smoking. Maternal age (over 40 or under 20 years old). Prenatal exposure to pollution and pesticides can also increase the risk of LBW. People born with LBW are more vulnerable to pollution throughout their lives. Evidence Babies born with LBW are at risk for infant death and developing health problems later in life. These include coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and asthma [1, 2, 3]. Exposure to air pollution [4], traffic pollution [5], and pesticides [6] are linked to LBW. Infants born to Black mothers are 2.4 times more likely to be LBW than infants born to white mothers [7]. Participation in WIC programs can reduce these health disparities by providing nutrition and assistance with getting prenatal care [8]. Data source Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, data from 2020-2024 birth certificates Methods This measure shows the percentage of live-born singleton (one baby) infants born with a birth weight of less than 2500 grams (about 5.5 pounds) out of all live-born singleton infants born to people living in Washington. It includes babies born in Washington and babies born elsewhere to Washington residents. We are only using data on singleton infants. Pregnancies with more than one baby are more likely to result in LBW infants because of physical limitations, rather than other health issues. Caveats This measure does not include people currently living in Washington who were born with LBW but were not Washington residents when they were born. Sources Barker, D., Eriksson, J., Forsn, T., & Osmond, C. (2002). Fetal origins of adult disease: Strength of effects and biological basis. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31(6), 1235-9. Lu, M., & Halfon, C. (2003). Racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes: A life-course perspective. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 7(1), 13-30. Nepomnyaschy, L., & Reichman, N. (2006). Low birthweight and asthma among young urban children. American Journal of Public Health, 96(9), 1604-10. Westergaard, N., Gehring, U., Slama, R., & Pedersen, M. (2017). Ambient air pollution and low birth weight—are some women more vulnerable than others? Environment International, 104, 146-54. Ghosh, J., Wilhelm, M., Su, J., Goldberg, D., Cockburn, M., Jerrett, M., et al. (2012). Assessing the influence of traffic-related air pollution on risk of term low birth weight on the basis of land-use-based regression models and measures of air toxics. American Journal of Epidemiology, 175(12), 1262-74. Harley, K., Huen, K., Schall, R., Holland, N., Bradman, A., Barr, D., et al. (2011). Association of organophosphate pesticide exposure and paraoxonase with birth outcome in Mexican-American women. Plos One, 6(8), e23923. Ratnasiri, A., Parry, S., Arief, V.N. et al. (2018). Recent trends, risk factors, and disparities in low birth weight in California, 2005–2014: a retrospective study. Maternal Health, Neonatology, and Perinatology, 4(15). Khanani, I., Elam, J., Hearn, R., Jones, C., & Maseru, N. (2011). The Impact of Prenatal WIC Participation on Infant Mortality and Racial Disparities. American Journal of Public Health 100; S204-S209. Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Low Birth Weight". Data obtained from the Department of Health Center for Health Statistics, 2020-2024 Birth Certificate Data. Published September 2025.本数据集为《环境健康差异3.0版地图》（Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map）的组成部分。如需查看该地图，请访问我们的官方网页；如需了解该地图及所用模型的更多技术细节，请访问《环境健康差异地图报告3.0版》（Environmental Health Disparities Map Report Version 3.0）页面。 ### 背景 低出生体重（Low birth weight, LBW）是全球公认的人群健康标志物，其分布差异可反映孕产妇健康领域的不平等现状。例如，黑人母亲所生育的婴儿出现低出生体重的概率，显著高于白人母亲所生婴儿。妇女、婴儿和儿童项目（Women, Infants, and Children, WIC）通过支持生长发育与营养补给，助力缓解部分导致低出生体重的健康差异。 与低出生体重相关的危险因素包括：营养状况、产前保健、压力、孕产妇吸烟、孕产妇年龄（超过40岁或低于20岁）。此外，产前暴露于污染与农药也会增加低出生体重的发病风险。低出生体重儿在终生中均更易受到污染的负面影响。 ### 相关证据 低出生体重儿面临婴儿死亡及成年后罹患多种健康问题的风险，包括冠心病、2型糖尿病与哮喘[1,2,3]。暴露于空气污染[4]、交通污染[5]及农药[6]均与低出生体重存在关联。研究显示，黑人母亲所生婴儿的低出生体重几率是白人母亲所生婴儿的2.4倍[7]。参与WIC项目可通过提供营养支持与产前护理协助，有效缩小此类健康差异[8]。 ### 数据来源 华盛顿州卫生部健康统计中心，2020-2024年出生证明数据。 ### 研究方法 本指标统计的是华盛顿州居民所生育的单活产婴儿中，出生体重低于2500克（约5.5磅）的占比，涵盖在华盛顿州境内出生的婴儿，以及华盛顿居民在境外出生的婴儿。本研究仅纳入单胎婴儿：多胎妊娠因生理限制更易出现低出生体重儿，而非其他健康问题所致。 ### 注意事项 本指标未纳入目前居住在华盛顿州，但出生时并非华盛顿州居民的低出生体重人群。 ### 参考文献 1. Barker, D., Eriksson, J., Forsn, T., & Osmond, C. (2002). Fetal origins of adult disease: Strength of effects and biological basis. *International Journal of Epidemiology*, 31(6), 1235-9. 2. Lu, M., & Halfon, C. (2003). Racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes: A life-course perspective. *Maternal and Child Health Journal*, 7(1), 13-30. 3. Nepomnyaschy, L., & Reichman, N. (2006). Low birthweight and asthma among young urban children. *American Journal of Public Health*, 96(9), 1604-10. 4. Westergaard, N., Gehring, U., Slama, R., & Pedersen, M. (2017). Ambient air pollution and low birth weight—are some women more vulnerable than others? *Environment International*, 104, 146-54. 5. Ghosh, J., Wilhelm, M., Su, J., Goldberg, D., Cockburn, M., Jerrett, M., et al. (2012). Assessing the influence of traffic-related air pollution on risk of term low birth weight on the basis of land-use-based regression models and measures of air toxics. *American Journal of Epidemiology*, 175(12), 1262-74. 6. Harley, K., Huen, K., Schall, R., Holland, N., Bradman, A., Barr, D., et al. (2011). Association of organophosphate pesticide exposure and paraoxonase with birth outcome in Mexican-American women. *Plos One*, 6(8), e23923. 7. Ratnasiri, A., Parry, S., Arief, V.N. et al. (2018). Recent trends, risk factors, and disparities in low birth weight in California, 2005–2014: a retrospective study. *Maternal Health, Neonatology, and Perinatology*, 4(15). 8. Khanani, I., Elam, J., Hearn, R., Jones, C., & Maseru, N. (2011). The Impact of Prenatal WIC Participation on Infant Mortality and Racial Disparities. *American Journal of Public Health* 100; S204-S209. ### 引用格式 华盛顿追踪网络（Washington Tracking Network），华盛顿州卫生部。网络发布。"低出生体重"。数据来源于卫生部健康统计中心2020-2024年出生证明数据，2025年9月发布。