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Low Birth Weight Babies Research Paper

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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
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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
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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

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