Last year Illinois lowered its preterm birth rate slightly, but not
enough to change its grade. Illinois again earned a C grade on the
March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card. The state's 2012 preterm
birth rate was 12 percent, down from 12.1 percent in 2011.
"Partnerships with our state health officials and local hospitals
have helped us make newborn health a priority and lowered our
preterm birth rate, making a difference in babies' lives," said Dr.
William Grobman, maternal fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern
University and chair of the March of Dimes Program Services
Committee. "We will continue to work to give all babies a healthy
start in life because too many still are born too soon, before their
lungs, brains or other organs are fully developed."
Here in Illinois, the March of Dimes is supporting hospital
efforts to end early elective deliveries and is providing group
prenatal education programs that will help women have full-term
pregnancies and healthy babies.
Illinois is part of a national trend toward improved preterm
birth rates. On the 2013 Premature Birth Report Card, 31 states,
Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia saw improvement in their
preterm birth rates between 2011 and 2012. Nationwide, the largest
declines in premature birth occurred among babies born at 34 to 36
weeks of pregnancy, but the improvement was across the board. Every
racial and ethnic group benefited, and the preterm birth rates for
babies born at all stages of pregnancy improved.
Almost every state saw its preterm birth rate decline since 2006,
the national peak.
In Illinois, the rate of late preterm births is 8.3 percent; the
rate of women smoking is 18.2 percent, and the rate of uninsured
women is 18.3 percent.
These factors contribute to improved infant health in Illinois.
Illinois earned a star on the report
card for:
These improvements mean not just healthier babies, but also a
potential savings in health care and economic costs to society.
The March of Dimes attributed the improved rates to an expansion
of successful programs and interventions, including actions by state
health officials here and in all other states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico, who formally set goals to lower their
preterm birth rates 8 percent by 2014 from their 2009 rate.
"We will continue to work together to improve access to health
care, help women quit smoking and, through our Healthy Babies Are
Worth the Wait consumer education campaign, encourage women and
health care providers to avoid scheduling a delivery before 39 weeks
of pregnancy unless medically necessary," Grobman said.
[to top of second column] |
The United States also received a C on the March of Dimes Report
Card. Grades are based on comparing each state's and the nation's
2012 preliminary preterm birth rates with the March of Dimes 2020
goal of 9.6 percent of all live births. The U.S. preterm birth rate
is 11.5 percent, a decline of 10 percent from the peak of 12.8
percent in 2006. The March of Dimes Report Card information for the
U.S. and individual states will be available online at:
marchofdimes.com/reportcard.
Premature birth, birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, is
a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26
billion annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. It is the
leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive an early
birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges, such as
breathing problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and
others. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of
hospitalization and illness than full-term infants. At least 39
weeks of pregnancy are important to a baby's health because many
important organs, including the brain and lungs, are not completely
developed until then.
On Nov. 17, partners from around the world will mark the Third
World Prematurity Day in support of the Every Woman Every Child
effort, led by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. An estimated 15
million babies are born premature, and of those, more than a million
die as a result of their early birth.
Families and volunteers can observe World Prematurity Day by
sending their friends a "virtual hug" to show that they care about
premature babies. The "hugs" campaign dramatizes the benefits of
"kangaroo care," which is when parents cuddle their premature baby
skin-to-skin. Kangaroo care is one of the most comforting things
parents can do for their child. It helps keep the baby warm,
stabilizes the baby's heart rate and helps the baby gain weight.
In 2013, the March of Dimes celebrates its 75th anniversary and
its ongoing work to help babies get a healthy start in life. Early
research led to the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines that all babies
still receive. Other breakthroughs include new treatments for
premature infants and children with birth defects. About 4 million
babies are born each year in the United States, and all have
benefited from the March of Dimes' lifesaving research and
education.
___
March of Dimes 2013 Premature Birth Report Card for Illinois
(PDF)
[Text from
March of Dimes news
release]
The March of Dimes is the leading
nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters
nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies
by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
For the latest resources and information, visit
marchofdimes.com or
nacersano.org (Spanish). Also
find March of Dimes on
Facebook and
follow on Twitter. |