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What's Good

•Just 4 percent of pregnant women in Austin admit to smoking during pregnancy, the 9th lowest rate in our survey. Nationwide, 8 percent of pregnant women smoke.

•Austin babies are 20 percent less likely than average to be born with low birth weight.

•Austin has 40 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 6th highest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•State laws require health insurance companies to provide or offer at least some coverage for fertility-related services.

•Texas stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.

•Day-care centers in Austin are required by state law to meet special requirements aimed at reducing the risk of SIDS. Many cities and states have less-stringent or no SIDS-prevention programs for day-cares.

•Austin's violent crime rate is 52 percent lower than average, the 5th lowest in our survey, in fact.

Needs Improvement

•7.1 percent of Austin mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it the 8th lowest percentage among cities in our survey. The average for cities in our survey is 12 percent.

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