A study looked at 380,000 births across the United States between 2012 and 2022. It found that babies born to lower-income families were more likely to be born too small or too early. Mothers with lower incomes had worse results across the newborn health measures the study used.
The overall gap between lower- and higher-income families stayed steady over the ten years, except that low birthweight increased more among lower-income families. About 37% of mothers in the study were low-income, defined as living below 200% of the federal poverty level. The researchers used a CDC survey called PRAMS, which may close in spring 2025 and would make tracking trends harder.
Difficult words
- low-income — having a small amount of money for livinglower-income
- newborn — a baby that was born very recently
- low birthweight — when a baby weighs less than normal at birth
- federal poverty level — a government income line used to measure poverty
- survey — a set of questions that collect information
- trend — a general change or direction over timetrends
- measure — a test or number used to judge somethingmeasures
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why might lower-income mothers have worse newborn health measures?
- How could closing a national survey make it harder to see health trends?
- What could help reduce low birthweight in low-income families?
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