US Premature Rate Rises to 10.5%, March of Dimes Report Finds

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The premature birth rate in the United States is increasing, according to the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maternal and child health.

On Tuesday, the organization unveiled its annual “report card” on maternal and child health, which implies a newly updated calculation system. Taking an in-depth look at preterm births, the new report found that the US preterm birth rate rose to 10.5% last year, an increase of 4% since 2020 and the worst national rate since The March of Dimes began tracking this data in 2007, based on its new calculation system.

“This is actually a 15-year high in the preterm birth rate in this country,” said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, March of Dimes senior vice president and interim health and medical director.

The US Premature Birth Rate peaked in 2006 at 12.8%according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Since then, some March of Dimes reports have found U.S. preterm birth rates much higher than 10.5%, but those rates were based on estimates that have since been updated, according to the March of Dimes.

“Too many babies are born too soon – 1 in 10. If you had 10 babies in front of you and one of them had to face the complications that come with prematurity, that is unacceptable and we need to do better. Henderson said, adding that those 1 in 10 are more likely to be Black, American Indian or Alaska Native.

The March of Dimes data in the new report shows that babies born to Black and Native American mothers are 62% more likely to be born premature than those born to white women.

The new March of Dimes report also highlighted state-by-state differences in the rate of babies born prematurely across the country.

The report rates a preterm birth rate less than or equal to 7.7% an A and a preterm birth rate greater than or equal to 11.5% an F.

The national preterm birth rate of 10.5% is classified as D+.

No state has achieved an A rate, and only one has a statewide preterm birth rate that would qualify as A-: Vermont, which has the lowest preterm birth rate in the US at 8%.

Meanwhile, nine states and one territory have preterm birth rates that received an F grade: Georgia and Oklahoma with 11.9%; Arkansas, Kentucky and Puerto Rico with 12%; South Carolina with 12.1%; West Virginia with 12.8%; Alabama with 13.1%; Louisiana with 13.5%; and Mississippi with the highest preterm birth rate of any state at 15%.

“The areas that have the worst ratings are the same areas that we’ve been seeing consistently for a long time, and it’s about time we do what we need to do to improve health and make our country a better place to give birth. and be born,” Henderson said. “It is unfortunate that we do not have policies in place to protect the most vulnerable in our country, and without protecting our mothers and babies, we cannot ensure the health of everyone else.”

To address these state-by-state disparities in preterm birth and help improve the nation’s overall preterm birth rate, the March of Dimes has been advocating for certain policies, Henderson said, including the Black Maternal Health “Momnibus” Act of 2021a broad bipartisan package of bills to provide prenatal and postnatal support for black mothers, but most of the bills in the package are still pending in Congress.

The March of Dimes has also been urging more states to adopt laws expand access to doulas and midwivesamong other maternal health services, and reduce the prevalence of maternity care deserts through the country.

There are many potential factors contributing to the nation’s rising preterm birth rate, and Henderson said the Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest.

“We cannot forget about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic and recognize that there is probably a big contribution from that, knowing that covid-19 infection increases the risk of preterm birth,” he said. “But we also know that this pandemic brought many other issues to the fore, knowing that issues related to structural racism and barriers to adequate prenatal care, issues related to access, were also brought to the fore during this pandemic.” .

She added that many mothers in the United States are starting to get pregnant later in life, and there has been an increase in mothers with chronic health conditions, who are at greater risk of having to give birth early due to pregnancy complications. .

Henderson also said that preterm birth is one of the leading causes of infant death and disproportionately affects babies born to women of color.

“The United States is one of the worst places to give birth and be born among industrialized countries, unfortunately. When we look at maternal deaths and infant deaths, we are at the bottom of the pack among countries with similar profiles in terms of gross domestic product,” Henderson said. “It is because of our disproportionate number of preterm births, particularly for populations that are disproportionately affected, such as Black families and American Indian and Alaska Native families, that our rates are much higher than in other countries.” .

Globally, about 10% of births are preterm worldwide, similar to the US preterm birth rate.

About 15 million babies are born premature each year, accounting for more than 1 in 10 of all births worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which has called prematurity an “urgent public health problem.” ” and “the leading cause of death for children under 5 years of age.”

Aside from the March of Dimes report, WHO published new guidelines on Tuesday about how nations can improve the survival and health outcomes of babies born too early, at 37 weeks or less, or too small, at 5½ pounds or less.

These WHO recommendations advise that skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, be given to a premature baby immediately after birth, without spending any initial time in an incubator.

“Previously, we recommended that kangaroo mother care should only be for babies who are completely stable,” said pediatrician Dr. Karen Edmond, WHO medical officer for newborn health, who led the new guidelines.

“But now we know that if we put babies skin-to-skin, unless they are really seriously ill, it will greatly increase their chances of survival,” he said. “So what’s new is that we now know that we need to provide KMC immediately after birth, rather than waiting until the baby is stable.”

Edmond added that immediate kangaroo care can help babies better regulate their body temperatures and help protect them against infection, and said these guidelines are for health care providers on the ground as well as families.

The new WHO guidelines also recommend emotional, financial and employment support be provided to families of babies born prematurely or with low birth weight.

“Premature babies can survive, thrive and change the world, but every baby must be given that opportunity,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release.

“These guidelines show that improving outcomes for these little babies is not always about providing the most high-tech solutions,” he said, “but about ensuring access to essential health care that is focused on the needs of families.”