ARLINGTON, Va. — For the second consecutive year, the Nation’s Capital earned an “F” on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card but it showed improvement on criteria that can help give all babies a healthy start in life.
The March of Dimes released its second Premature Birth Report Card today, the seventh annual Prematurity Awareness Day®, when the March of Dimes focuses the nation’s attention on the growing problem of premature birth (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy). Also for the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a “D” on the Report Card, demonstrating that more than a half million of our nation’s newborns didn’t get the healthy start they deserved. As in 2008, no state earned an “A” and only Vermont received a “B.”
“We’ve been working diligently to increase the number of insured women of childbearing age, decrease the number of women who smoke and decrease the number of late preterm births (births between 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy),” said Kerry Lewis, M.D., Chair of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Howard University Hospital and a March of Dimes volunteer.
“As the local and national figures show, we’ve got a way to go before all babies get a healthy start in life,” said Dr. Lewis. “But the March of Dimes and its volunteers are committed to working with District health officials, local hospitals and health care providers to continue to fight for preemies.”
Criteria that affect preterm birth improved in the District of Columbia and earned stars for the following:
• reducing the percentage of women of child-bearing age who smoke
• reducing the percentage of uninsured women of child-bearing age
• lowering the late preterm birth rate
In the District of Columbia, the rate of late preterm births is 9.9 percent. The rate of women smoking is 13 percent and the rate of uninsured women is 10.9 percent.
In the U.S., more than 540,000 babies are born too soon each year. Preterm birth 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, mental retardation and others. A March of Dimes report released in October found that 13 million babies worldwide were born preterm and more than one million die each year.
Quality improvement programs are vital to lowering preterm birth rates, according to the March of Dimes. In 2007 in the District, the premature birth rate decreased by 3 percent over 2006 figures. “This is a trend that is going in the right direction for babies,” said Dr. Lewis.
The March of Dimes is a member of the Advisory Committee on Perinatal, Infant and Inter-Conceptional Health and Development in the District of Columbia, a collaborative that is responsible for the popular “I am a D.C. Healthy Mom” initiative. The first component of the program is “I want my 40 weeks,” a strategy to prevent premature birth.
Another March of Dimes program in the District is the March of Dimes Mama & Baby Bus, which provides free prenatal and dental care to pregnant women in wards 1, 2, 4 and 5. The first and only prenatal/dental mobile unit in the city, the 30-foot bus is staffed by health care professionals and educators who ride the unit to underserved areas of the city. The bus operates with a grant from the March of Dimes in partnership with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.
Premature birth can happen to anyone. To learn more about premature birth and how to get involved with March of Dimes efforts, please visit marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies.
The March of Dimes is the leading 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.
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