Prevention Key in Reducing Emotional, Medical Costs of Ohio’s Low-Birthweight Babies
More than 10,000 babies born in Ohio’s hospitals in 2006 weighed less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces and over 600 weighed less than 2.2 pounds. This translates to one in every 16 babies in Ohio being born at a low birthweight and running a much higher risk of serious health problems, lasting disabilities or even death. In many cases low birthweight is preventable, and the costs – both socially and medically – of a low or very-low-birthweight baby are steep. OHA data show the cost of care for low-birthweight babies averages five times more than the cost of care for normal-birthweight newborns, despite the fact that some normal-birthweight newborns also suffer from complicating diagnoses.

A mother’s race, age and health can increase the risk of her baby being born at a low birthweight. African-American babies are twice as likely to have low-birthweight as Caucasian babies, and teen mothers have a much higher risk of very-low-birthweight babies. Women exposed to drugs, alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy, as well as those with poor nutrition, inadequate prenatal care and lower socio-economic status, also run a higher risk. Many of these risk factors can be prevented through education and other wellness initiatives for pregnant moms, and hospitals throughout the state reach into their communities with these types of programs.

Preventable Risk Factor: Teen moms
More than 9,000 Ohio teens age 18 or younger gave birth in Ohio hospitals in 2006 – and nearly 850 of these new moms were 15 years old or younger. The March of Dimes reports a steady decline in teenage birth rates since 1991, but notes that U.S. rates still exceed those in most developed countries. Teen mothers are more likely to give birth prematurely, and babies of teenage mothers are more likely to die in the first year of life than babies of women in their 20s and 30s. According to the March of Dimes, nearly 12 percent of 15-year-old mothers had a low-birthweight baby in 2004. This is double the statewide average. Teen moms already face a challenging road in caring for a new infant without the additional health problems and medical bills that often accompany a low-birthweight baby.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center reaches out to teen and other at-risk moms through Every Child Succeeds (ECS). Moms enrolled with ECS receive home visits, connections to health care providers and other community resources, programs on home safety, nutrition and smoking cessation, and opportunities to share with other first-time parents. The infant mortality rate for ECS families is about half the Ohio average, 74 percent of smoking mothers quit or drastically reduced tobacco use during pregnancy and 99 percent of ECS children have a primary care physician.

Preventable Risk Factor: Poor prenatal care
More than 50 percent of low-birthweight babies born in Ohio’s hospitals are insured through Ohio’s Medicaid program, meaning that their caregivers make less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (e.g. $40,000 for a family of four). Pregnant moms of lower socioeconomic status are less likely to seek adequate prenatal care. Barriers can include cost of care, transportation, lack of child care for other children, missed work, insufficient time or a lack of knowledge about needed prenatal care.

Cultural and language difference also can play a role. Lake Hospital System and St. Mary Church in Painesville developed a prenatal program for Spanish-speaking moms-to-be.  The Vas a Tener un Bebe! (You Are Going to Have a Baby!) program covers topics such as nutrition during pregnancy and general infant care for pregnant moms whose language barrier may have prevented them from receiving crucial prenatal care and information.

More Work to be Done
Despite the work of hospitals and other community organizations to address the risk factors associated with low-birthweight babies, there is still more work to be done. The total number of births in Ohio hospitals increased less than 2 percent between 2004 and 2006, while the number of low-birthweight babies grew by 4.5 percent and the number of babies weighing less than 2.2 pounds grew by 10.6 percent. Parents pay a high price both emotionally and literally for the health complications of babies born at a low birthweight. These tiny babies suffer big problems, but additional efforts to educate new moms and provide prenatal care can go a long way in shrinking the number of low-birthweight babies born in Ohio each year.

Number of Low-Birthweight Babies in Ohio