U.S. Gets a 'D' For Preterm Birth Rate

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – For the second consecutive year, more than half a million of our nation's newborns were born prematurely and failed to get the healthy start they deserved.

In the 2009 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, seven states improved their performance by one letter grade, though two fared worse. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia reduced the percentage of women of childbearing age who smoke. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia reduced the percent of uninsured women of childbearing age, and 27 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico lowered their late preterm birth rates (birth before 37 weeks gestation).

No state earned an "A," and only Vermont received a "B." The National Healthy People 2010 preterm birth objective is 7.6 percent of all live births. In 2007, the U.S. preliminary preterm birth rate was 12.7 percent.

"Although we don't yet understand all the factors that contribute to premature birth, we do know some interventions that can help prevent it, and we must consistently make use of all of these," Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes, was quoted as saying. She cited smoking cessation programs, health care before and during pregnancy, progesterone supplementation, improved adherence to professional guidelines on fertility treatment and early Cesarean-sections and inductions.

According to the March of Dimes, quality improvement programs are key to lowering preterm birth rates. The Intermountain Health Program in Utah reduced its elective C-sections from more than 30 percent to less than 5 percent. At Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, pregnant women are screened for chronic conditions and risks factors that can be treated proactively to lower the risk of preterm birth.

A program run by the Hospital Corporation of America based in Tennessee, which delivers about 5 percent of all U.S. births in the 21 states it serves, reduced the primary C-section rate, lowered maternal and fetal injuries and reduced the cost of obstetric malpractice claims by 500 percent.

Parkland Memorial Hospital in Texas reduced its preterm birth rate to 4.9 percent in 2006 from 10.4 percent in 1988 by establishing a comprehensive, community-based public health care system of prenatal care that targets minority pregnant women.

Preterm birth is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
 
SOURCE: March of Dimes Annual Report Card, November 17, 2009

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com