1994 Annual Report of Vital Statistics Department of Health, City of New Haven
 

Birth Weight

The average birth weight for the 1,990 babies born in 1994 was 3,197 grams, or slightly more than 7 pounds. The average birth weight has remained around the seven pound mark for the past four years, 1991-1994. There were a total of 199 low birth weight births recorded in 1994 accounting for 10% of all births in that year. There was a slight decrease in the low birth weight ratio from 10.1% of total births in 1993 to 10.0% in 1994. Table 2 below lists birth weight in 500 gram increments by race of child.

TABLE 2
Birth Weight by Race
New Haven: 1994

  Total White Nonwhite
<500 gm 4 0 4
500-999 gm 17 7 10
1000-1499 gm 17 6 11
1500-1999 gm 41 15 26
2000-2499 gm 120 48 72
2500-2999 gm 443 166 277
3000-3499 gm 740 325 415
3500-3999 gm 464 233 231
4000-4499 gm 124 75 49
4500-4999 gm 16 10 6
5000+ gm 4 1 3
Totals 1,990 886 1,104

Nonwhite births had a total of 123 low birthweight births in 1994, accounting for 61% of all immature births in that year. Nonwhite births had a higher percentage of immature births than white births in 1994. A total of 76 white births were immature accounting for 38% of the total of immature births.

TABLE 3
Race of Child
By Maturity of Birth
New Haven: 1994

  Total White Nonwhite
Mature (>=2500 gm) 1791 90.0% 810 91.5% 981 88.9%
Immature (<2500 gm) 199 10.0% 76 8.5% 123 11.1%
Totals 1,990   886 44.5% 1,104 55.5%

 
This document was digitized on March 31, 1999 by Andrew Swan as part of the New Haven Health Project.
http://www.med.yale.edu/newhavenhealth/