Promoting Women’s Health and Healthy Births Cohort

The rate of low-birthweight (LBW) infants born in Georgia climbed to 9.6% in 2006—the highest level in 30 years—and peaked at 10.6% in 2021, which has only recently dropped to 10.2% as of 2023. Infants born to non-Hispanic Black women have the highest rate of LBW, 13.1%, which is two or more times greater than for infants born to women of other races and ethnic groups.

The rate of (LBW) infants born in Henry County peaked at 12.6% in 2021, which has only recently dropped to 12.5% as of 2023. Infants born to non-Hispanic Black women have the highest rate of LBW, 13.7%.

The initiative was launched in 2010 to develop strategies to lower the LBW rate in four counties in partnership with the Department of Public Health, WIC, and other key local partners. Kaiser Permanente continued to invest in participating counties. The cohort counties currently include Butts, Clayton, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, and Spalding.

The aim of the counties from this cohort is to work with local partners to build strategies that include the best and promising practices to improve women’s health and birth outcomes in the region. These strategies focus on supports that must occur during critical periods—pre-conception, interconception, prenatal, and perinatal.

Partners:

• AmeriGroup

Resources:

• Operation Mist
• WIC
• Blossom Lactation

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