Americans are increasingly at risk of having lower incomes, poorer health, and a worse shot at opportunity even before they are born. More babies are now born with low birthweights than in the last 30 years. This has caused growing inequalities that can persist if not properly addressed. In certain parts of the country, that risk may be ten-times greater.
Underweight newborns are at an increased risk of long term health challenges, lower IQ scores, and developmental delays. New data shows that the frequency of this problem is rising with more than 300,000 newborns now experiencing low birthweight. This public health and equity issue is increasingly common in low-income communities, communities with poor access to healthy foods, and homes that are near high-polluting sites.
Emily Oster, a professor of economics at Brown University and author of Expecting Better writes, “Babies that are born in this group are much more likely to have complications. These include difficulty breathing, difficulty regulating blood sugar, and abnormal neurological signs… Some studies suggest that babies who are born SGA [Small for their Gestational Age] have more long-term issues, including a higher risk for diabetes and lower cognitive skills.”
Lower birth weight can also predict career trajectory and earning power. In a paper published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers looked at thousands of government officials in England and found that even after controlling for other factors like parental education that people born with low birthweight tended to have lower wages and lower ranking roles.
Our team at American Inequality wanted to see how pervasive the issue of low birthweight is not just nationally but within specific communities. We found 29 counties, largely in the South and Midwest, where babies are twice as likely to be born with lower birthweights than the national average.
Pollution during pregnancy
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