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The rate of premature birth in the United States is on the rise, according to the March of Dimes, a non-profit organization concerned with infant and maternal health.
On Tuesday, the organization issued its statement Annual “report card” on maternal and child healthwhich includes a newly updated algorithm. Taking an in-depth look at premature births, the new report finds that the U.S. preterm birth rate rose to 10.5% last year, representing a 4% increase since 2020 and the worst national rate since the March of Dimes began tracking this data in 2007. ., based on the new accounting system.
“This is actually a 15-year high in the rate of premature births in this country,” said Dr. Zsakpa Henderson, senior vice president and interim medical and health director at March of Dimes.
Premature birth rate in the United States It peaked in 2006 at 12.8%.According to data from National Center for Health Statistics.
Since then, some March of Dimes reports have found U.S. preterm birth rates well above 10.5%, but those rates were based on calculations that have since been updated, according to the March of Dimes.
“There are too many babies born too early: 1 in 10. If you have 10 babies in front of you and one of them has to face the complications that come with prematurity, that’s unacceptable, and we have to do better,” Henderson said. Adding that those people in 10 are more likely to be black, American Indian or Alaska Native.
March of Dimes data included in the new report shows that babies born to Black and Native American mothers are 62% more likely to be born prematurely than babies born to white mothers.
Countries with the highest and lowest rates
The new March of Dimes report also highlighted state-by-state differences in the rate of babies born prematurely across the country.
The report classifies a preterm birth rate less than or equal to 7.7% as A and a preterm birth rate greater than or equal to 11.5% as F.
The national preterm birth rate of 10.5% is rated D+.
No state achieved an A rate, and only one state has a statewide preterm birth rate that can be classified as an A-: Vermont, which has the lowest preterm birth rate in the United States at 8%.
Meanwhile, there are nine states and one territory with preterm birth rates that received an F grade: Georgia and Oklahoma at 11.9%; Arkansas, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico, 12%; South Carolina, 12.1%; West Virginia, 12.8%; Alabama, 13.1%; Louisiana, 13.5%; Mississippi has the highest rate of premature births of all states at 15%.
“The areas that have the worst scores are the same areas that we have seen consistently for a long time, and it is time for us to do what we need to do to improve health and make our country a better place to give birth,” Henderson said. “It is unfortunate that we do not have policies in place to protect children.” “Our country’s most vulnerable groups, and without protecting our mothers and children, we cannot secure the health of anyone else.”
To address these state disparities in preterm births and help improve the national preterm birth rate as a whole, the March of Dimes has called for specific policies, including The Black Maternal Health Act of 2021a comprehensive package of bipartisan bills to provide pre- and postpartum support for Black mothers — but most of the bills in the package are still making their way through Congress.
The March of Dimes also urged more states to adopt the legislation Expanding access to doulas and midwivesamong other maternal health care services, and reduce their spread Maternity care deserts All over the country.
There are many potential factors contributing to the country’s high rate of premature births, and Henderson said the COVID-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest.
“We cannot forget the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and realize that there is likely a significant contribution to this, knowing that infection with Covid-19 increases the risk of premature birth,” she said. “But we also know that this pandemic has brought many other issues to the forefront, knowing that issues around structural racism and barriers to adequate prenatal care, and issues around access, have come to the fore during this pandemic as well.”
She added that many mothers in the United States begin their pregnancies later in life, and there has been an increase in the number of mothers who suffer from chronic health conditions, and they are more at risk of premature birth due to pregnancy complications.
Henderson also said that premature birth is one of the leading causes of infant mortality and disproportionately affects children born to women of color.
“The United States is one of the worst places to give birth and give birth among industrialized nations, unfortunately. “When we look at maternal mortality and infant mortality, we rank last among countries with similar profiles in terms of GDP,” Henderson said. “Because of the disproportionate numbers of premature births — especially for disproportionately affected populations, such as Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native families — our rates are much higher than other countries.”
Globally, about 10% of births are premature worldwide – similar to the rate of premature births in the United States.
About 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, accounting for more than 1 in 10 births worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which has called prematurity an “urgent public health issue” and a “leading cause of death.” Children under five years of age.”
Separately from the March of Dimes report, The World Health Organization has issued new guidelines Tuesday about how to improve survival and health outcomes for babies born very early, at 37 weeks gestation or less, or very small babies, weighing 5 pounds or less.
WHO recommendations advise providing skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo mother care, to a premature baby immediately after birth, without spending any initial time in the incubator.
“Previously, we recommended that kangaroo mother care be limited to babies whose condition was completely stable,” said pediatrician Dr Karen Edmond, the WHO’s medical officer for newborn health, who led the new guidelines.
“But we now know that if we put babies in skin-to-skin contact, unless they’re really critically ill, this will dramatically increase their chances of survival,” she added. “What is new then is that we now know that we should provide kangaroo mother care immediately after birth, rather than waiting until the baby’s condition stabilizes.”
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Edmund added that immediate kangaroo mother care can help infants better regulate their body temperature and help protect against infection. She said that these guidelines are intended for healthcare providers on the ground as well as families.
The new WHO guidelines also recommend providing emotional, financial and workplace support to families of babies born very early or with low birth weights.
“Premature babies can survive, grow and change the world – but every child must be given this opportunity,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release.
“These guidelines show that improving outcomes for these young children is not always about providing the most technical solutions, but rather ensuring access to essential health care that is centered around the needs of families,” he said.
