Premature birth rates rise again for the third year in a row

Premature birth rates in the US have risen for the third year in a row, a new report has found.

This is after almost a decade of decline between 2007 and 2014, according to the 2018 premature birth report card from March of Dimes, a nonprofit that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.  

In 2017, the rate of preterm birth increased to 9.93 percent, up from 2016’s rate of 9.85 percent and 9.6 percent in 2015.

While the increase might appear to be negligible, this equates to about 27,000 more babies born prematurely, Stacey Stewart, president of March of Dimes, told Daily Mail Online, and this is a ‘worrying trend’.

Researchers did not find one primary cause of preterm birth, but they say the findings suggest that racial and economic disparities have a negative effect on these rates.    

Premature birth rates in the US rose for the third year in a row. The rate rose to 9.93 percent in 2017, up from 9.85 percent in 2016 and 9.6 percent in 2015. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia all had failing grades and Vermont was the only state to get an ‘A’

The March of Dimes says that preterm birth – when a baby arrives prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy – is the largest contributor to infant death in the US.

Babies born prematurely suffer a greater risk of breathing problems, feeding problems and are more susceptible to contracting infections.

A 2015 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that survival rates of preemies have increased between five and nine percent in the last three decades due to improvements in neonatal care.

‘But, if even if they survive, those babies are experiencing lifelong health challenges,’ Steward said.

‘They’re at a higher risk of suffering from physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy and visual problems. And if they even if they don’t appear in childhood, they may show up in early adulthood.’ 

The US received an overall ‘C’ grade when it came to premature birth rates, but some states fared much worse.

States in the south were generally found to have worse rates. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia all had preterm birth rates above 12 percent, which translated into a failing grade.

Vermont was the only state to earn an ‘A’ with a rate of 7.5 percent.

Unequal access to healthcare and maternity care remains a big issue in the disparities between states, Stewart said.

‘Right now, 10 million women lack health insurance and we know if a woman is not as healthy as she can be, that increases the risk of premature birth,’ she explained.

‘But even if you have health insurance, that doesn’t do any good if you don’t have access to a good doctor. More than 10 million women live in counties with limited access to maternity care.’

However, one promising trend in the report was that the rates between 2016 and 2017 improved in 16 states. 

The risk of having a premature baby also depended on the mother’s race and ethnicity.

Black women had the highest risk of giving birth to a preemie at a rate of 13.4 percent, while the lowest rate was among white women at 8.9 percent.

This means that black women in the US were 49 percent more likely to have a preterm birth than other woman of all races and ethnicities. 

‘There could be multiple drivers, but we believe one is chronic stress and anxiety,’ said Stewart.

‘This is often due to stress of living in a society around racial discrimination that affects women on a daily basis.’

A 2004 study from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois found that the stress of racial discrimination put African American women at a higher risk of low birth weight, preterm infants.

Another 2004 study found that 50 percent of black women with preterm deliveries reported having experienced racial discrimination compared to five percent of white women.

Black women in the US were 49 percent more likely to have a preterm birth than other woman of all races and ethnicities

Black women in the US were 49 percent more likely to have a preterm birth than other woman of all races and ethnicities

‘Research shows that there is some intersection between racial discrimination/bias and that could be affecting health,’ said Stewart.

‘It could also be stress from housing conditions or some other environmental injustice or risk.’

Black women are also three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although the cause for this difference is unclear, some doctors speculate it could be because chronic illnesses such as obesity and hypertension – both of which are pregnancy risk factors – are higher in black women.

Others say it could be because of socioeconomic disparities between black and white women including housing, healthcare access, insurance, and health education. 

Stewart says a big way to drive this rate down ‘as a country’ is by participating in next week’s mid-term elections.

‘We’re asking for everyone to get involved in what we are referring to as a “blanket change agenda”,’ she said.

‘This includes calling on candidates to expand healthcare access and passing legislation about maternal mortality and morbidity. This is the only thing to do if we’re going to see any meaningful changes in premature birth.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk