CNN
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According to Dimes, a non-profit in infant and maternal health, the rate of preterm births in the United States is climbing.
On Tuesday, the organization released it Annual Report Card on Maternal and Infant Healthincludes a newly updated computing system. Looking at preterm birth in detail, the new report shows that preterm birth rates in the US rose to 10.5% last year, a 4% increase since 2020, and the worst since March of the dime, which began tracking this data in 2007 We found that the national rate represents. , based on a new computing system.
“This is the 15-year high for the country’s preterm birth rate,” said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, Senior Vice President and Interim Chief Medical and Health Officer at Dimes in March.
Premature birth rate in the US It peaked at 12.8% in 2006According to data from National Center for Health Statistics.
Since then, March of Dimes reports have found that the US fertility rate has far surpassed 10.5%, but according to March of Dimes, these rates are based on updated calculations.
“Too many babies are born too early. One in ten. If you have 10 babies in front of you and one of them has to face complications associated with immaturity, then you accept it. Not, and we need to do better Henderson added that one in ten is likely black, American Indian, or from Alaska.
Data from the new report, Dimes March shows that infants born to black and Native American mothers are more likely to be 62% more likely than infants born to white women.
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The New March of Dimes report also highlights state-wide differences in the proportion of premature babies born nationwide.
The report scores premature birth rates of 7.7% or less as A, and premature birth rates of 11.5% or more as F.
The national preterm birth rate of 10.5% is rated as D+.
No state has achieved an A-rate, and only states with a state-level preterm birth rate graded as A-:Vermont have the lowest preterm birth rate in the US at 8%.
Meanwhile, nine states and one territory have premature birth rates that have been subject to F grade. Georgia and Oklahoma are 11.9%. Arkansas, Kentucky, Puerto Rico 12%. 12.1% South Carolina. 12.8% West Virginia. Alabama at 13.1%. 13.5% Louisiana. Mississippi has the highest preterm birth rate in all states at 15%.
“The worst-performing areas are the same regions we have seen consistently for a long time, and are needed to improve our health and make our country a better place to give birth. It’s past time to do things, and then be born,” Henderson said. “It’s a shame that there are no policies in place to protect the most vulnerable people in our country. We cannot ensure the health of everyone else without protecting mothers and babies.”
To help address these state-wide disparities in preterm birth and improve overall preterm birth rates across the nation, the March of Dimes advocates for specific policies. The 2021 Black Maternal Health “Gurg” Acta bipartisan package of bills to provide pre- and post-natal support to black mothers, but most of the bills in the package are still going their way through Congress.
March of Dimes also encourages more states to adopt the law Increased access to doulas and midwivesAmong other mothers’ medical services, Maternity Care Desert Nationwide.
There are many potential factors that contribute to the rise in the country’s premature birth rate, and Henderson said the Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest.
“We cannot forget the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We know that Covid-19 infections will increase the risk of preterm birth and we are aware that it is likely that it will have a significant contribution,” she said. I did. “But we also know that this pandemic has brought many other issues to the forefront, which has led to issues relating to structural racism and proper prenatal care and access during this pandemic. I know it’s brought to the frontline.”
She adds that many mothers in the US are beginning to get pregnant later in their lives, with an increasing number of mothers in chronic health conditions increasing, and there is a high risk of having to give birth early due to pregnancy complications. I did.
Henderson also said that premature birth is one of the biggest causes of infant deaths and disproportionately affects babies born to women of color.
“The United States is, unfortunately, one of the worst places to be born and born among developed countries. Looking at the death of mothers and death of infants, we are among countries with similar profiles regarding gross domestic product. And at the bottom of the pack,” Henderson said. “It’s due to our disproportionate numbers of preterm births. Especially for disproportionately affected groups, such as black families and American Indians and native Alaska families, our fees are more than other countries. It’s also much higher.”
Globally, around 10% of births are preterm births worldwide, similar to the preterm birth rate in the US.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, with more than one in 10 of the 10 births around the world born. Children under the age of 5″
Apart from the March of Dimes report, Those who released new guidelines Tuesday on how the country can improve survival and health outcomes for a born baby under 37 weeks or less, or too little under 5.5 pounds.
These WHO recommendations advise that skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo mother care, is provided to preterm infants immediately after birth.
“We previously recommended that kangaroo mother care be only for a fully stable baby,” Dr. Karen Edmond, medical officer for newborns, told WHO, the lead of new guidelines. I did.
“But now we know that if we put our babies in skin-to-skin contact, this will greatly increase the chances of survival, unless they are really seriously ill,” she said. “So the new thing is that we know we need to provide kangaroo mother care right after birth, rather than waiting for the baby to stabilize.”
Edmund added that immediate kangaroo mother care will help infants better regulate their temperature and protect them from infection, and said these guidelines are for ground health providers and families.
The new WHO guidelines recommend providing emotional, financial and workplace support to families of babies born too early or at low birth weight.
“While preterm babies can survive, thrive and change the world, each baby must be given the opportunity,” Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a news release.
“These guidelines say that improving outcomes for these little babies isn’t always about providing the most high-tech solutions and ensuring access to critical health care focused on family needs. It shows that.”
