CNN.com reported on November 12th that the nation is not on track to meet its federal goal of having no more than 7.6% of babies born before the 37th week. According to data from 2005, the most recent available, 1 in 8 babies is born premature in the United States. This figure has risen steadily over the past two decades. States with low premature rates are Vermont and Oregon, with 9% of babies being born premature. Other states have higher figures. In West Virginia 14.4% of babies are born premature. In Kentucky and South Carolina that figure rises to 15% of babies of born premature. The state with the worst statistic is Mississippi, where a whopping 18.8% of babies are born prematurely.The March of Dimes outlined three possible reasons why the national figure continues to worsen despite federal attention. First, states with high premature birth rates also have high rates of people lacking health insurance. In Mississippi for example, estimates suggest that 1 in 5 women do not have health insurance and subsequently do not seek prenatal care. The second factor affecting the rise in premature births is smoking rates. In states with higher levels of premature births, more women smoke. The third factor are births occurring between 34 - 37 weeks, also called "late preemies." Advanced medical has allowed babies born prematurely the opportunity to survive. However, even babies born a few weeks before reaching full-term are at risk for developmental, learning, and behavior delays.
Click to view the March of Dimes' interactive state-by-state map of premature birth rates.
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