Preview

Low Birth Weight Babies Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
736 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Low Birth Weight Babies Research Paper
Low birth weight and preterm babies in United States is increasing. Low birth weight babies are babies who are born with the birth weight of less than 5 lbs. either due to preterm delivery or due to restriction of growth inside the uterus. These low birth weight babies are at increased risk for early death and long-term health and developmental issues than infants born later in pregnancy or at higher birth weights. Not all preterm infants are low birth weight, and vice versa.

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities:

Disparities in racial and culture exist with preterm and low birth weight infants. According to child health USA 2010 report, low birth weight infants who were born to non-Hispanic black women were more than the infants …show more content…
Low socio-economic status with no medical insurance, Lack of nutrition at the time of pregnancy.
Physical and mental stress during pregnancy.
Violence, abuse or exposures to secondhand smoke are some of the causes for preterm and low birth weight infants (Morrin, 2008, p.8).
Impact on family and society:

Preterm and low birth weight infants possess greater risk not only for the infants, but also for the families and the society as well. The impact of very low-birth-weight infants on the family is long lasting. Preterm infants born at less than 34 weeks are at high risk for poor outcomes, including chronic health conditions, long-term disability, and death. The loss of a baby can be a devastating experience for a family. Many preterm and low birth weight infants that survive the perinatal period are vulnerable to a host of childhood morbidities such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Adolescents born prior to 35 weeks of completed gestation have been shown to have a higher degree of abnormal brain development and cognitive and behavioral problems than adolescents born full-term. These poorer birth outcomes have also been associated with serious health conditions in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and hypertension. The financial costs associated with treating preterm labor and delivery is quite …show more content…
Usually women with poor socio economic conditions, homeless are greatest risk for low birth weight infants and they have no medical insurances. This possesses greater impact on the society because their costs have to be picked up by Medicaid or the hospital
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Identify a State Level Agency That Delivers a Federal Program-Wic
    • 5258 Words
    • 22 Pages

    Identify a State Level Agency That Delivers a Federal Program-Wic

    Devaney, B. (1992). Very Low Birth Weight Among Medicaid Newborns in Five States: The Effects of…

    • 5258 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Discuss Disparities Related to Ethnic and Cultural Groups Relative to Low Birth Weight Infants and Preterm Births. Describe the Impact of Extremely Low Birth Weight Babies on Family and Society (Short and Long Term,
    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Discuss Disparities Related to Ethnic and Cultural Groups Relative to Low Birth Weight Infants and Preterm Births. Describe the Impact of Extremely Low Birth Weight Babies on Family and Society (Short and Long Term,

    Babies who weight 5.5 pounds (2500grams) or less at birth are low babies with low birth weight. Babies weighing 3.3 pounds (1500 grams) or less are Very low birth weight babies. There is a significant medical and social cost for low birth weight infants and preterm births. Low birth weight is a major predictor of infant mortality. Ethnic and cultural group’s disparities related to low birth weight infant and preterm infant are significantly disproportionate, affecting minority Americans. Although infant morbidity can not be directly linked with low birth weight but it is a frequently used as a marker for poor health at birth because it amounts for the leading risk factor for infant morbidity and for subsequent mortality among the surviving infants. The extent of which ethnic and cultural disparities in low birth weight reflect socioeconomic inequalities, cigarette smoking during pregnancy, young maternal age and low educational achievements are also associated with low birth weights. The hospital costs for low birth weight infants during the first year of life in 2001 totaled $5.8 billion, representing forty-seven percent of all infant hospitalizations costs and twenty seven percent of all pediatric hospital costs. Even if the infant’s family has insurance, the co pay amount is significantly large, if we include cost of travel, lodging, food, time off from work and loss of productivity; it is very expensive and unaffordable for the society and the families. Pre term births increase a child risk for health and developmental problems. Pre term births less than thirty seven weeks of gestation is associated with poor health and social/emotional functioning measured at preschool age, adolescence and young adulthood. Less than 29 weeks of gestation age infants are at risk of increased impaired brain function due to brain injury and disruptions in early brain development. Low birth weight is also linked to various problems in infants, including : chronic conditions such…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Preterm-Sga Research Paper
    • 84 Words
    • 1 Page

    Preterm-Sga Research Paper

    Infants at the lowest GAs were at the greatest risk for morbidities of prematurity. The prevalence of preterm-SGA ranged from 1·2% in north Africa to 3·0% in southeast Asia. Every year 41% prematurity born are because of growth restriction. In sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, just over 50% of low-birth weight babies are preterm. Generally, about 40% (3·072 million) of deaths in children younger than 5 years occurred in the neonatal period, most often because of preterm birth complications (14·1%; 1·078…

    • 84 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Are The Similarities Between High Risk Mothers And Infants
    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Are The Similarities Between High Risk Mothers And Infants

    High risk mothers and infants are classified as a vulnerable population. Increasingly high teenage pregnancy rates and inadequate prenatal care for minority lower class women are just two factors that play a key role into why this population is considered vulnerable. Other factors that come into play include the lack of education regarding early prenatal care, no health insurance, denial and the lack of family support. The consequences that occur from little to poor prenatal care results in an infant’s low birth rate and even infant mortality.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Vulnerable Population Paper
    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Vulnerable Population Paper

    By definition, premature infants are infants who are born before 37 weeks of gestational age. Premature infants usually weigh less than 2,500 grams (5 lb, 8 oz) and constitute for about 10 percent of all births, also infant mortality rises from five times normal at 37 weeks of gestational age to 45 times normal at 32 weeks of gestational age. (Trachtenbarg, Golemon, 1998) Premature infants are vulnerable to many health problems because their organs did not have adequate time to develop in utero prior to their birth. Some early problem for these infants include: inability to breathe without assistance due to underdeveloped lungs, inability to maintain body temperature, feeding problems due to a immature digestive system, anemia, intracranial hemorrhage, and jaundice.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Disparities of Low Birth Weight Babies
    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Disparities of Low Birth Weight Babies

    Low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams) is one of the leading causes of infant mortality, and low birth weight infants who survive are at an increased risk of having developmental disabilities. One of the goals of Healthy People 2010 is to eliminate health disparities, and one of the Healthy People 2010 objectives (16-1c) is to reduce the prevalence of low birth weight infants to 5%. There is a significant disparity in the proportion of low birth weight infants born to black and white women. Data shows that black women are twice as likely as white women to deliver a low birth weight baby. One of these factors may be whether the pregnancy was unintended (mistimed or unwanted). Previous studies have found that unintended pregnancies may be related to poor birth outcomes like low birth weight, because women who have unintended pregnancies are more likely to engage in risky behaviors during their pregnancy that can affect the health of their babies. For example, women who have unintended pregnancies are more likely to smoke, more likely to receive delayed or no prenatal care, and are less likely to report daily vitamin use.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Premature Babies Research Paper
    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Premature Babies Research Paper

    Having a premature baby can come with a few or many health problems. When a baby is premature they will be held in the NICU, or the neonatal intensive care unit. One of the problems that can occur is Respiratory distress syndrome, (RDS). This is a common breathing problem that can occur in babies that are born 6 weeks or earlier. These babies lack surfactant, a protein that protects the lungs from collapsing. Another complication is BPD or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This is another concern with the lungs and these babies usually need help from a breathing machine. Fluid and lung damage can happen when they have BPD (“Premature babies” March of Dimes.).…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Low Birth Weight
    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Low Birth Weight

    For the last 20 years, thanks to advances in neonatal technology, doctors were able to save babies whose time spent in the womb had to be shortened because of particular problems. Those preterm childbirth also seem to pose a problem of low-birth weight among the babies conceived with the help of neonatal technologies. Low birthweight is a weight of less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces, low birth weight can cause heart & respiratory diseases as well as mental retardation. It is said that advances in neonatal technology, which in turn often lead to earlier deliveries have contributed to the increases of low birth weight babies.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Low Birth Weight Baby Advantages
    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page

    Low Birth Weight Baby Advantages

    I was low birth weight baby when I borned. This is related to community. According to each day in America, personal experiences and children in California rols. They said 865 babies are born at low birth weight and I was also low birth weight baby. I feel like it’s advantage for me, because my grandma and parents took care of me a lot because of that reason and I’m reallly healthy now.…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Low Birth Weight Baby Essay
    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Low Birth Weight Baby Essay

    There are different reasons why babies are born in low weight. Having twins can cause low birth weighy because there's not enough room to grow inside a mother's womb. It can also be because of health conditions inherited by the baby from the parents. Or it can also be because there's not enough oxygen supply, thus, this can affect a fetus' growth development. It can be also because of anemia and emotional stress.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Effects of Preterm Birth
    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Effects of Preterm Birth

    There are many risk associated with premature birth and there have been many preventative measures put into place to keep mothers informed of the effects of premature birth. These risk can range from previous premature birth, multiple pregnancy, (carrying twins or multiples) uterine and cervical problems, chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Premature birth has been so much of an issue that scientists are working feverishly to figure out who is most at risk, how to diagnose preterm labor sooner rather than later, and how to prevent birth when the mother goes into labor early. Though their research efforts are not in vain, there still is no concrete cause for premature. Many studies have been arranged to narrow down the cause of preterm birth, but as it still stands today there are many different reasons for preterm delivery.…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Premature Birth
    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Premature Birth

    Pregnancy is the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, know as an embryo or fetus in a woman’s uterus. A normal pregnancy should last about 40 weeks. But unfortunately, too many babies are being born too soon. Some premature babies thrive and live healthy lives. Some die. A newborn is classified at birth as premature if born less than 37 weeks. There are several reason of premature births, which include domestic violence-including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, lack of prenatal care, chronic illness, using illegal drugs, lack of social support, high levels of stress, low income, and long working hours with long periods of standing.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Importance Of Low Birth Weight
    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Importance Of Low Birth Weight

    Margaret, You and your twin sister are so lucky, especially your twin sister. So many children with low birth weight do not have such privilege and lucky and it depends on the immediate intervention that was incorporated during your birth. There is one of my church members that had her daughter when she was at 29 weeks of pregnancy. Though she had an accident then and the doctor had to do the emergency C-section for her to rescue the baby. The baby survived, but had multifaceted disabilities. There was another family friend of mine, that also had her daughter at 28 weeks, the child spent almost two months plus at the NICU, she survived it and do not have any disability of any kind. This particular child is very healthy, smart and intelligent,…

    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Socioeconomic Status
    • 3748 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Socioeconomic Status

    Another relationship that exists between child development and SES is the availability of good health care. Children of low-SES are more likely to be born prematurely, at low birth weight, with birth defects, or disabilities. (Crooks 1995, Hawley & Disney 1992, US Dep. Health & Human services 2000). Early health problems often originate from poor prenatal care, maternal substance abuse, poor nutrition during pregnancy, and maternal lifestyles that increase the likelihood of infections (e.g. smoking, drug use) (US Dep. Health & Human Services 2000).…

    • 3748 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Poverty and Child Maltreatment
    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Poverty and Child Maltreatment

    Having children grow up in poverty may have many consequences on the children's well-being. Studies have shown that poor children who are born in poor environments are likely to be born with more complications . Because mothers are usually faced with deprivation from resources to help their pregnancies, they are more likely to receive limited required medical attention which can result in having premature babies . If a child is born under the normal weight, they may run the risk of acquiring heightened and constant illnesses that may become long lasting as they get older . Moreover, because of the toxic environments that the children may be exposed to, they run a higher risk of becoming terminally ill, require urgent medical attention, or in some instances it may even be fatal . Some studies have shown that children who live in poor…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More