• To increase awareness of the problem of premature birth to 60% for women of childbearing age, and 50% for the general public by 2010.
• To decrease the rate of preterm birth in the U.S. by 15% by 2010.

In its first five years, the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign has served as a major catalyst in stimulating attention and action around the problem of premature birth. Staff and volunteers have succeeded in reaching the Campaign’s first goal: a 2007 Gallup survey found that 64% of childbearing age women consider prematurity a very serious problem, compared to just 41% before the campaign began.

Additional gains include investments in research grants, community intervention programs, health care professional education seminars, scientific publications, state and federal legislative initiatives, and formation of the NICU Family Support program.

Much work remains, however, to begin decreasing the rate.  The Surgeon General’s Conference on Preterm Birth is a key contributor towards setting a national agenda for research and interventions.

Find out more about the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign.