Whose baby will be next?  One in eight babies is born prematurely (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) in this country, many without warning and for no known cause, according to the March of Dimes.  Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death (in the first month of life) and babies who do survive often face chronic health problems and developmental disabilities for the rest of their lives.

 "The number of babies born too soon has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, with no downturn in sight," says March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse. "We're asking everyone who cares about babies to join us today and click on marchofdimes.com to say they want to know why this is happening and how they can help."

 By clicking on marchofdimes.com, visitors will register their concern for the 476,000 babies born too soon in 2001 and have an opportunity to join with thousands of others, attesting to the importance of the issue.  Dr. Lisa Firth, Prematurity Campaign Chair, is urging March of Dimes volunteers to kick off the online campaign by asking ten friends to visit the site, click for research, and pass it on.

 CIGNA, a prematurity campaign corporate sponsor, will donate $1 for each click up to $150,000. The March of Dimes will take these "clicks" and use them to demonstrate to Congress and government health officials the intensity of interest in increasing the amount of research dollars available to find the causes of premature birth.

 Dr. Howse notes that most Americans today are unaware of the magnitude of this health problem. In a recent March of Dimes national survey of 1,967 adults, only 35 percent of respondents identified prematurity as “very serious” or “extremely serious.” In the same survey, more than 50 percent believed the rate of preterm birth is declining or about the same.

"The 'click' campaign is one more way our volunteers can help us raise awareness," says Dr. Firth of the online effort.  "If we all band together, we can find the answers that will save premature babies and thwart this national epidemic."

Earlier this year, the March of Dimes launched a five-year, $75 million national campaign to educate women to the signs and symptoms of preterm labor, raise funds to conduct needed research, and reduce the rate of premature birth by 15 percent by 2007. The total national hospital bill for premature babies was estimated at $11.9 billion in 2000, according to a recent March of Dimes analysis.

"For thousands of families every year, the answers can’t come soon enough," Dr. Howse says.

Partnering with the March of Dimes in this effort are the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).

 Also joining the campaign are corporate sponsors CIGNA, FedEx and the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute.  Media sponsors include Meredith Publishing’s American Baby Group, Working Mother Media and Matria Healthcare, Inc.

In addition, more than 25 professional, consumer and government organizations across the U.S. will assist in communicating the March of Dimes educational messages.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a 5-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com, its Spanish Web site at nacersano.org, or call 1-888-MODIMES.