The United States' extraordinarily high number of babies born too soon explains why the nation has an infant death rate significantly higher when compared to Europe, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Cutting the U.S. preterm birth rate nearly in half to match Sweden's would lower the US infant mortality rate one-third and mean nearly 8,000 more babies would live, the report found. Sweden has the second lowest infant mortality rate worldwide, 2.4 for every 1,000 live births, compared to the US rate of 6.9.
"Too many U.S. babies are born too soon each year and don't live to celebrate their first birthday. This finding underscores the importance of supporting research to help us learn what causes preterm birth and how we can help give all babies a healthy start in life," said Alan R. Fleischman, MD, medical director of the March of Dimes. "No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing a child from prematurity."
November marks the 7th Annual Prematurity Awareness Month(R), a time when the March of Dimes focuses the nation's attention on the growing problem of premature birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation). Later this month, the March of Dimes will issue its 2009 Premature Birth Report Card. The report grades the nation and the states on their preterm birth rates and assesses states' progress toward improving access to health care coverage for women of childbearing age, helping women quit smoking during pregnancy, and to preventing medically unnecessary c-sections prior to 39 weeks of pregnancy - three criteria that can reduce preterm birth rates.