March of Dimes Releases Annual Premature Birth Rate Percentages

By Rachel Stockton

The annual March of Dimes state-by-state ranking of premature births has been released; overall, the United States gets a “D” from the agency.

The three states with the highest percentages of premature births are Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama; their percentages range from 16.5%-18.3%, which is twice the goal rate of 7.6% that was set by the Healthy People 2010 campaign.

No state in the union actually got an “A”, and only the state of New Hampshire got a “B.”

According to the agency, however, the news isn’t all bad.  Over the last year, the overall percentages of premature births actually decreased over the last 12 months. 

Premature birth, as defined by the March of Dimes is delivery before 37 weeks gestation; the agency recommends that elective C-sections and labor inductions not take place before 39 weeks, in an another effort to reduce early birth.

Although obstetricians are unable to determine all of the reasons for premature birth, they all agree that smoking, poor nutrition, periodontal disease, and lack of early medical care during pregnancy heavily contribute to the problem.

Although great strides have been made in neo-natal care, babies born before 37 weeks are still susceptible to a myriad of developmental problems, as well as higher risk for cerebral palsy.

This isn’t the only bad news Louisiana and Mississippi have gotten this week. Earlier, Forbes released a listing of the nation’s healthiest places to live; Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama are numbers 50, 48 and 47 respectively.  New Hampshire, which scored the nation’s only “B” with regards to premature births, is one of the top five healthiest places to reside.

Top 5 Healthiest States (Forbes)

1.       Vermont

2.       Utah

3.       Massachusetts

4.       Hawaii

5.       New Hampshire

Top 5 Unhealthiest States

1.        South Carolina

2.       Louisiana

3.       Alabama

4.       Oklahoma

5.       Mississippi