Editing Infant mortality (section)

==== Low birth weight ====
{{Main|Low birth weight}}
[[Low birth weight]] makes up 60–80% of the infant mortality rate in developing countries. ''[[The New England Journal of Medicine]]'' stated that "The lowest mortality rates occur among infants weighing {{convert|3000|to|3500|g|lbs|abbr=on}}. For infants born weighing {{Convert|2500|g|lbs|abbr=on}} or less, the mortality rate rapidly increases with decreasing weight, and most of the infants weighing {{convert|1000|g|lbs|abbr=on}} or less die. As compared with normal-birth-weight infants, those with low weight at birth are almost 40 times more likely to die in the neonatal period; for infants with very low weight at birth the relative risk of neonatal death is almost 200 times greater."{{Quote without source|date=July 2023}} Infant mortality due to low birth weight is usually a direct cause stemming from other medical complications such as preterm birth, poor maternal nutritional status, a lack of [[prenatal care]], maternal sickness during pregnancy, and unhygienic home environments.<ref name="Andrews" /> Birth weight and the length of gestation are the two most important predictors of an infant's chances of survival and their overall health.<ref name="MacDorman 2009" />

According to the ''New England Journal of Medicine'', "in the past two decades, the infant mortality rate (deaths under one year of age per thousand live births) in the United States has declined sharply."{{Quote without source|date=July 2023}} The rate of low birth weights among African Americans remains twice as high as the rate for white people. Low birth weight, the leading cause of infant deaths, is preventable by effective programs to help prevent low birth weight are a combination of health care, education, the environment,{{Clarify span|mental modification,|date=August 2023}} and public policy.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2000 |title=Infant Mortality, Low Birthweight and Racial Disparity |url=http://www.nationalhealthystart.org/site/assets/docs/Infant%20Mortality%20Low%20Birthweight.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230004308/http://www.nationalhealthystart.org/site/assets/docs/Infant%20Mortality%20Low%20Birthweight.pdf |archive-date=2019-12-30 |website=National Healthy Start Association }}</ref> Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Preterm birth |url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/index.html |access-date=2013-09-29 |website=WHO |date=November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131002115944/https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/index.html |archive-date= Oct 2, 2013 }}</ref> Even though America has a higher survival rate for premature infants, the percentage of Americans who deliver prematurely is comparable to those in developing countries. Reasons for this include [[teenage pregnancy]], an increase in pregnancy after the age of 35, an increase in the use of [[in vitro fertilisation]] (which increases the risk of multiple births), obesity, and diabetes. Also, pregnant people who do not have access to health care are less likely to visit a doctor, therefore increasing their risk of delivering prematurely.<ref name="lag" />