One in 8 babies born in U.S. is premature, report reveals (that's the same rate as Somalia and Thailand)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139194/Report-ranks-US-131st-184-countries-premature-birth-rates-EQUALS-Somalia-Thailand.html

By Snejana Farberov
Published: 15:23 EST, 3 May 2012

The first-ever country-by-country estimate of premature births has found that about 12 per cent, or 500,000, of all babies in the United States are born before due date, a rate far higher than in Europe, Canada, Australia or Japan.

The study 'Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth' that was released on Wednesday ranked the US 131st out of 184 countries -- between the Congo and Nigeria, and tied with Somalia and Thailand.

According to the report, 15 million babies a year are born prematurely worldwide, which amounts to more than 1 in 10 live births. In the US, that rate stands at about 1 in 8 live births, which is almost twice as high as in Sweden.

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About a million of those babies die shortly after birth, and countless others suffer severe, life-long physical disorders like cerebral palsy and blindness, as well as learning disabilities, the report states.

Joy Lawn, the director of global evidence and policy for Save the Children and co-editor of the report, said that the study dispels the notion that premature births are rare.

'Being born too soon is an unrecognized killer,' she said.

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The report was compiled with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a non-profit education and advocacy group.

For the report, preterm was defined as 37 weeks of completed gestation or less, the standard WHO definition. Most preemies fall in the 'late preterm' category, born between 32 and 37 weeks. Extreme preemies are born before 28 weeks.

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Among the factors driving up the rate of preterm births in the US is the number of older women having babies; increased use of fertility drugs; obesity; and increased rates of medically unnecessary Caesarean deliveries, the study says.

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In addition to a notable age gap, with more preterm babies born to women younger than 17 and older than 40, there is also a racial gap in the US, according to Christopher Howson, a co-editor of the report.

In 2009, the preterm birthrate for African-Americans was as high as 17.5 per cent, compared with 10.9 per cent for Caucasians.

'We need to do a lot more to prevent preterm births, such as improving health care access for all, bringing down rates of smoking and issues of unnecessary C-sections and inductions,' Howson said.

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