March of Dimes: The U.S. gets a "D" when it comes to premature births

[cali]

Vermont is the only state to get a "B". Mississippi has the worst rate.


Childhood: U.S. Draws Low Marks on Premature Births

By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: November 19, 2009

More than half a million babies — one out of eight — are born prematurely each year in the United States, prompting the March of Dimes to give the nation a D on its premature births report card.
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The report card did not give an A to a single state. Vermont, which has a preterm birth rate of 9 percent, got a B, while 17 states got F’s, including Mississippi, with a preterm birth rate of 18.3 percent. The prematurity rate in Puerto Rico, at 19.4 percent, was the highest in the country.

The nationwide rate has barely budged in the most recent three years reported — to 12.7 percent in 2007, according to preliminary figures, from 12.8 percent in 2006 and 12.7 percent in 2005. The rate was 11.4 percent in 1997.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/health/research/24child.html

[heliarc]

1. But But But....

Glenn Beck says we have the best Health care system in the world. :sarcasm:

[cali]

2. pretty much anything glenno says, the opposite is sure to be true.

[Raster]

3. Not to mention the US infant mortality rate...

U.S. lagging behind many other nations on infant mortality rates: Healthy behavior, healthier babies

Like other startling health statistics, the U.S. infant mortality rate easily elicits both sighs of frustration and words of determination from health workers — frustration from knowing many such deaths are preventable and determination from knowing that a poor infant mortality rate does not bode well for the nation’s future health prospects.

<snip>

Released in October 2008, a new data brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics ranks the United States 29th globally in infant mortality in 2004, the latest year such data were available for all countries. The U.S. ranking, which has risen from 12th in 1960 to 23rd in 1990, currently ties the United States with Poland and Slovakia. Authors of the brief, "Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States," noted that while such global comparisons can be affected by reporting differences, "it appears unlikely that differences in reporting are the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking." According to the brief, the U.S. infant mortality rate in 2005 was 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, not much different than the 6.89 rate in 2000 — a lack of decline that has "generated concern among researchers and policy-makers." In fact, the level rate from 2000–2005 represents the first period of ongoing lack of decline in the U.S. infant mortality rate since the 1950s, the brief stated. The Healthy People 2010 target for infant mortality is 4.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

<more>

http://www.apha.org/publications/tnh/archives/2009/February09/Nation/BabiesNAT.htm

The premature birth rate and mortality rates are indicative of the lack of adequate prenatal care, which is directly tied to the lack of affordable, available heathcare for all. Something's got to change...
:kick:

[cali]

4. Yep, and where there is access to prenatal care

and infant care like in Vermont, you see much better statistics.

[Odin2005]

5. I was born 2 months premature.

This is very concerning.