Late prenatal care cited as a contributing factor
Public health officials are worried about increasing rates of low birthweight deliveries in the U.S. Babies born weighing less than 2,500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds, are considered low birthweight. Low birthweight is a problem because these infants are at much greater risk for conditions such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy. These smaller infants account for only about seven percent of all births, but 35 percent of all infant health care costs. Since 1981, the Ohio and U.S. low birth weight rates have been steadily rising. Mahoning County was ranked 87th out of 88 Ohio counties in the rate of low birthweight babies during a recent five year period, 1990- 1994, ahead of Cuyahoga County.
Women who get late or no prenatal care are more likely to deliver low birthweight babies. In 1995, 88 percent of women in Mahoning County's townships and villages - known as the General Health District - sought prenatal care during the first trimester of their pregnancies. This figure dropped to 76 percent when women living in Youngstown, Campbell and Struthers were included. These rates have not changed significantly since 1991. National health objectives call for reaching a rate of 90 percent of all women by the end of the decade.
Health care providers and community organizations are trying new approaches to the problem of late prenatal care in Mahoning County. Child and Family Health Services Consortium prenatal clinics, the WIC nutrition program, and the Ohio Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative (OIMRI) are coordinating efforts to reach women early in their pregnancies and improve the chances that women will deliver healthy, normal birthweight babies.