The population of the rural areas tends to be predominantly white with racial and ethnic minorities usually clustered in the larger cities and towns. There are approximately 67,726 births annually within the Chapter, based on statistics from 1989 to 1994. Low Birthweight Low birthweight is a significant contributor to infant mortality and poor infant and child health. The rates of low and very low birthweight have increased for the Chapter between 1989 and 1994, although the increase for very low birthweight has been very slight. The Chapter's upward trend of low and very low birthweight has leveled off.
Infant mortality associated with short gestation is a leading cause of infant death in the Chapter.
The rate of prematurity increased in the Chapter overall between 1980 and 1993, when the trend leveled off and began to fall. New technologies, including intensive monitoring of and intervention in high-risk pregnancies, may be responsible for the reversal in the trend. Birth defects are a leading cause of infant death in the chapter area. Infant death rates vary considerably in different areas of the chapter. Based on these statistics, being born to a teenage mother is the single greatest threat to an infant's life.