Earlier this month, the March of Dimes issued a report card on the preterm birth rates throughout the United States. The country as a whole scored a “D”. The March of Dimes arrived at the grade by using a comparison between the actual preterm birth rate and the objectives set forth in an initiative known as Healthy People 2010.
In addition to giving the country a grade, the March of Dimes graded each individual state on its progress toward reaching the Healthy People 2010 objectives. None of the states earned an “A”. Only one state earned a “B”; that state was Vermont. There were eight “C” grades, twenty three states were given a “D” and eighteen earned an “F”. The organization rates Washington DC and Puerto Rico as well as the fifty states.
The Healthy People 2010 objective for preterm births is to lower the rate to 7.6 per 1000 births. Currently, the overall rate for the county is 12.7 per 1000, which falls short of the goal. Rather than decreasing, the rate of preterm births has been increasing in recent years. According to the March of Dimes, the rate of preterm births has increased by nearly 20 percent since 1990.
In addition to assessing the preterm birth rate of each state, the Report Card looks at factors that are said to contribute to preterm births. Some of the factors considered include smoking and lack of health insurance and access to health care.
The March of Dimes offers suggestions to help reduce the rate of preterm birth. Some of the strategies called for in the report include expanding federal research for premature birth, which would help with prevention and treatment for babies born too early. Other changes called for in the report card include health coverage for pregnant women, smoking cessation help as part of prenatal care, and assessment and reduction of the c section rate, particularly prior to 39 weeks.
The March of Dimes calls on businesses to work toward lowering the rate of preterm birth. The organization suggests support for the health of the mother and baby in the work place, including flextime, literature relating to healthy pregnancy and offering women a place to pump breastmilk after the baby is born.
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