“Achieving the Healthy People 2020
goal is reason for celebration, but the U.S. still has one of the highest rates
of preterm birth of any high resource country and we must change that,” said
March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse. “We are investing in a network
of five prematurity research centers to find solutions to this still
too-common, costly, and serious problem.”
The March of Dimes Premature Birth
Report Card compares each state’s premature birth rate to the March of Dimes
goal of 9.6 percent of all live births by 2020. On the 2014 Report Card, 27
states and Puerto Rico saw their premature birth rates improve between 2012 and
2013, earning better grades for five of them: Iowa, Virginia, Arkansas, Nevada
and Oklahoma. Five states earned an “A,” including California, Maine, New
Hampshire, Oregon and Vermont. Twenty states earned a “B,” 20 states received a
“C,” two states and the District of Columbia got a “D,” and only three states
and Puerto Rico, received an “F” on the Report Card. Click here to see how your
state your did.
The Report Card also tracks states’
progress toward lowering their premature birth rates by following three
principle risk reduction strategies:
• 30 states and the District of Columbia reduced the percentage of uninsured women of childbearing age;
• 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reduced the percentage of women of childbearing age who smoke;
• 30 states and Puerto Rico lowered the late preterm birth rate, babies born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation.
• 30 states and the District of Columbia reduced the percentage of uninsured women of childbearing age;
• 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reduced the percentage of women of childbearing age who smoke;
• 30 states and Puerto Rico lowered the late preterm birth rate, babies born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation.
Premature birth is the leading cause
of newborn death, and babies who survive an early birth often face serious and
sometimes lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, jaundice,
developmental delays, vision loss, and cerebral palsy. Even babies born just a
few weeks too soon have higher rates of death and disability than full-term
babies.
The March of Dimes is also calling
for a nationwide effort to reduce U.S. premature births to 5.5 percent of all
live births by 2030. Seven other developed countries already have
premature birth rates below 6 percent, and 15 have rates below 7 percent.
The U.S. rate of 11.4 percent in 2013 is one of the highest. The U.S.
ranked 37th out of 39 high resource countries in 2010.
“The United States spends more money
per capita on health care than almost any other country in the world, and yet
our premature birth rate and our infant mortality rate are among the highest.”
says Dr. Howse. “The U.S. should aspire to be among the best globally in
preterm birth rates and give all our children a healthy beginning.”
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