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America's Children and the Environment (ACE)

ACE: Health - Adverse Birth Outcomes

Indicator H12

Indicator H12 graph

Data Tables for this Topic

Data characterization

  • Data from this indicator are obtained from a database maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics.
  • The database collects information from birth certificates for virtually all births in the United States.
  • Length of gestation is recorded on each birth certificate.
  • Between 1993 and 2008, the rate of preterm birth showed an increasing trend, ranging from 11.0% in 1993 to its highest value of 12.8% in 2006. This increasing trend was statistically significant.
     
  • In 2008, Black non-Hispanic women had the highest rate of preterm birth, compared with women of other races/ethnicities. More than 1 in 6 infants born to Black non-Hispanic women were born prematurely in that year.
    • The difference between the rate of preterm birth for Black non-Hispanic women and the rates for the other race/ethnicity groups was statistically significant.
       
  • Between 1993 and 2008, the preterm birth rate showed an increasing trend for each race/ethnicity group except Black non-Hispanic women. The preterm birth rate for Black non-Hispanic women stayed relatively constant, ranging between 17% and 19%.
    • The increasing trend in the rate of preterm birth was statistically significant for White non-Hispanic, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native non-Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander non-Hispanic women.
       
  • The preterm birth rate varies depending on the age of the mother. Women ages 20 to 39 years have the lowest rate of preterm birth, compared with women under 20 years and women 40 years and older. The rates of preterm birth for women ages 20 to 39 years and women 40 years and older showed an increasing trend between 1993 and 2008; however, the increase for women ages 20 to 39 years was smaller. (See Table H12a.)
    • The differences between the preterm birth rates for the different age groups were statistically significant. The increasing trends in the rate of preterm birth for women ages 20 to 39 years and women 40 years and older were statistically significant as well.
  • Twins, triplets, and other higher-order multiple birth babies are more than 5 times as likely to be born preterm compared with singleton babies (60.4% vs. 10.6% in 2008). The preterm birth rates for both singletons and multiples showed an increasing trend from 1993 to 2008; however, the increase for multiples was larger than for singletons. (See Table H12b.)
    • The increasing trend for both singleton and multiple births was statistically significant.

Indicator H13

Indicator H13 graph

Data Tables for this Topic

Data characterization

  • Data from this indicator are obtained from a database maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics.
  • The database collects information from birth certificates for virtually all births in the United States.
  • Birth weight and length of gestation are recorded on each birth certificate.
  • Between 1993 and 2008, the rate of term low birth weight for all races/ethnicities stayed relatively constant, ranging between 2.5% and 2.8%. The rates of term low birth weight for infants born to White non-Hispanic mothers and Asian or Pacific Islander non-Hispanic mothers showed increasing trends between 1993 and 2008, while the rates of term low birth weight for infants born to mothers of the other race/ethnicity groups stayed relatively constant.
  • The rate of term low birth weight varies by race/ethnicity. In 2008, the rate was highest for infants born to Black non-Hispanic mothers, and next highest for infants born to Asian or Pacific Islander non-Hispanic mothers. The rate of term low birth weight is lowest for infants born to White non-Hispanic mothers, Hispanic mothers, and American Indian/Alaska Native non-Hispanic mothers.
    • The rate of term low birth weight for Black non-Hispanic women was statistically significantly higher than for all other race/ethnicity groups. The rate of term low birth weight for Asian or Pacific Islander non-Hispanic women was significantly lower than for Black non-Hispanic women but significantly higher than the other race/ethnicity groups.
  • Term low birth weight rates vary by the age of the mother. In 2008, women ages 20 to 39 years had the lowest rate of term low birth weight infants, while women under 20 years had the highest rate of term low birth weight infants. These differences were statistically significant. (See Table H13a.)
  • Between 1993 and 2008, the rate of term low birth weight for women 40 years and older showed an increasing trend, ranging from 2.9% to 3.4%. This increasing trend was statistically significant. (See Table H13a.)
     
  • Twins, triplets, and other higher-order multiple birth babies are more than 5 times as likely to be born at term with low birth weight compared with singleton babies (12.6% vs. 2.4% in 2008). The rate of term low birth weight for singleton and multiple babies stayed relatively constant over the period of 1993-2008. (See Table H13b.)