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Indicator Gauge Icon Legend

Legend Colors

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change  from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

More information about the gauges and icons

Babies with Low Birthweight

City: District of Columbia
Measurement Period: 2022
This indicator shows the percentage of births in which the newborn weighed less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces).

Why is this important?

Infants born with low birthweight are more likely to have health problems and require specialized medical care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Low birthweight is typically caused by premature birth and fetal growth restriction. Factors impacting the likelihood of low birthweight include the pregnant person's race, age, health, and being pregnant with multiples (e.g., twins, triplets). Smoking, drinking alcohol, and substance misuse during pregnancy can also increase the risk for having an infant with low birthweight (March of Dimes).  

Considerations for Equitable Approaches: Being a member of a group that experiences the effects of racism and health disparities can increase the risk of having an infant with low birthweight (March of Dimes). Nationally, non-Hispanic Black infants are almost twice as likely to be born with low birthweight (National Center for Health Statistics). Educating the public and health care providers, broadening access to quality health care services, promoting healthier physical and social environments, supporting innovative research, and advocating for efforts to address racial and social inequalities can be effective tools in reducing disparities in preterm births and low birthweight (American Public Health Association).  

Inclusive Language Recommendations: As not all people who are pregnant identify as women, recommendations for more gender-inclusive language include using "pregnant people" and "pregnant patients" or other wording as applicable when referring to general recommendations for pregnancy (National Institutes of Health).  

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9.9%
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Measurement period: 2022
Maintained by: Conduent Healthy Communities Institute
Last update: March 2024

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Data Source

Filed under: Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Health Outcomes, Infants