KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief: Preventing Low Birthweight

The rising rate of low-birthweight births in the United States is a vexing and persistent medical and social problem—but not an unsolvable one. There is growing consensus that the complex issues surrounding LBW and preterm births call for a broad strategy, one that addresses a wide range of risk factors. Just-in-time solutions—those introduced during pregnancy—are not sufficient.

Some researchers are studying the potential of education to break the LBW cycle. Maternal education has long been considered a key factor in infant health. Generally speaking, women with more years of education give birth to fewer children and engage in fewer behaviors that undermine their own health or place their pregnancies at risk