Health Service Use and Costs Associated with Low Birth Weight—A Population Level Analysis

Objectives To examine differences in health services utilization (HSU) costs in the first year of life between low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) infants, identify maternal and child characteristics associated with HSU costs, and estimate annual HSU cost of LBW infants for the province of Alberta, Canada. Study design A retrospective cohort study including all live births between 2004 and 2010. Data from the Alberta Perinatal Health Program database were linked to health care administrative data including inpatient, outpatient, and practitioner claims to identify HSU within the first year of life. Results One-year HSU costs among LBW infants (n = 16 209) were $33 096 compared with $3942 among NBW infants (n = 189 586). There was a strong negative correlation between HSU costs and increasing birth weight, with health care costs among extreme LBW ( Conclusions Compared with NBW infants, LBW infants consume more health resources not only in terms of initial hospitalization but also of re-hospitalizations, outpatient, and physician visits during the first year of their life. Interventions targeting social determinants of health are required to improve birth weight outcomes in Alberta.