1989 Annual Report of Vital Statistics Department of Health, City of New Haven
 

Birth Weight

There were a total of 2,540 live births to New Haven residents in 1989. The 1989 birth rate showed a slight decrease of 0.4% over the 1988 birth rate of 19.9%. The fertility rate (based on women aged 15-44 years old) showed a decrease of 4.9% from the previous year. The median weight at birth decreased slightly in 1989. The sex ratio (males to 1,000 females) increased from 1,010 in 1988 to 1,109 per 1,000 females in 1989. The teenage mother rate decreased again in 1989. The premature birth rate decreased slightly but the immature birth rate increased as well as the illegitimacy rate. All of these rates are summarized below in Table 1, and shown in more detail in the section on births to follow.

TABLE 2
Birth Weight by Race
New Haven: 1989

  Total White Nonwhite
<500 gm 14 2 12
500-999 gm 15 1 14
1000-1499 gm 31 3 28
1500-1999 gm 69 20 49
2000-2499 gm 180 46 134
2500-2999 gm 532 204 328
3000-3499 gm 951 409 542
3500-3999 gm 575 331 244
4000-4499 gm 136 81 55
4500-4999 gm 30 19 11
5000+ gm 3 2 1
Unknown 4 2 2
Totals 2,540 1,120 1,420

Nonwhite births had a total of 237 low birthweight in 1989, accounting for 77% of all immature births in that year. Nonwhite births had a higher percentage of immature births than white births in 1989. A total of 72 white births were immature accounting for 23% of the total of immature births.

TABLE 3
Race of Child
By Maturity of Birth
New Haven: 1989

  Total White Nonwhite
Mature (>=2500 gm) 2231 88% 1048 93% 1183 83%
Immature (<2500 gm) 309 12% 72 6.4% 237 16.7%
Totals 2,540   1,120 45% 1,420 56%

 

This document was digitized on March 15, 1999 by Andrew Swan as part of the New Haven Health Project.
http://www.med.yale.edu/newhavenhealth/