U.S. preterm birth rate goes down but Kentucky's maternal smoking rate still second highest, putting preterm babies at risk

For the fifth year in a row, the preterm birth rate in the United States has dropped. Which is great news. But Kentucky again had a significantly high smoking rate for expectant mothers -- at 32.2 percent, putting us behind only West Virginia (at 36 percent) of pregnant women who gave birth preterm and smoked.

Being born before full term puts babies at undue risk. Still, nearly half a million babies in the United States are born prematurely, many unnecessarily, according to the March of Dimes' 2012 Premature Birth Report Card. Serena Gordon of HealthDay reports that "those risks include breathing difficulties, heart defects and bleeding in the brain. Some conditions are only temporary while others can persist." A premature birth is anything that occurs before 37 weeks gestation. Maternal smoking is a major factor respiratory difficulties for the child and in an inability for the mother to go full term.

It is also been found that women without health insurance also have a higher incidence of preterm birth. Texas had the worst rates of uninsured women with 34.2 percent without insurance. Florida and New Mexico had rates of uninsured women of about 30 percent. Kentucky had rates of uninsured women of 21.7 percent. (Read more)

To see the full report and to see how Kentucky fared compared to other states in a number of other categories, go here.

Kentucky doctor honored for her work in bolstering health and preventing deaths of babies born a few weeks early

A Kentucky neonatalogist was honored this week for giving the state "a role in catalyzing a national movement around healthier babies." Ruth Ann Shepherd, M.D., division director for maternal and child health in the Kentucky Department for Public Health, was presented the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Presidential Meritorious Service Award and recognized as "an early pioneer in recognizing the critical public health problem of preterm births in Kentucky, and that the troubling trend was common to most states in the country."

According to New Public Health, an online publication of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,  Shepherd’s research "revealed that babies born at 37 or 38 weeks had far worse health outcomes than babies born at 39 or 40 weeks. With support from the leadership at the Kentucky Department of Health, and many other organizations who have since taken up the cause of helping to create conditions for healthier babies, many states are beginning to make strides in preventing early births."

Charles Kendall, chief of staff at the Kentucky Health Department, told the online magazine that the  prematurity rate for infants in Kentucky was exceptionally high, averaging at about 36 weeks at the time of birth.  "There was a corresponding infant death rate that was far exceeding the national average When she looked at the data, it occurred to her that many of those deaths could have been prevented.," he said. "Much of the prematurity rate had nothing to do with medical issues. The data were telling her that women who smoke are much more likely to deliver early and to have smaller babies. The size of the baby was really the predictor for the infant death rate."

 But what Shepard also understood, said Kendall, was that a lot of these births were actually planned for convenience. "That was one of the more startling pieces of information from the data. In many cases it was not a medical issue but a lack of education or convenience. She also brought the science from her work that showed that the fetal brain is still in critical stages of development in those early weeks, and that it’s not at its full capacity until 39 or 40 weeks. That was very compelling. She also said this is not just a Kentucky issue. This is going on everywhere." ( Read more

Infant mortality, pre-term birth, teenage pregnancy, children living in smokers' homes all drop even as as child poverty goes up

Nationwide, the rates of infants who die, babies who are born prematurely, teens who are having babies, and the percentage of young children who live in a home where someone smokes have all decreased in the last five years. But the percentage of kids who live in poverty has gone up.

These findings are some highlights of the report "America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2012," compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. The report, which does not break down data by state, looks at children's demographic backgrounds, family and social environments, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.

"This year's report contains good news about newborns," said Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "Fewer infants were born pre-term and fewer died in the first year of life."

Among other findings: In the last five years there has been a five-fold increase in the percentage of teens who have received the vaccine that prevents the most dangerous form of meningitis. Other key findings show:
• A drop in the percentage of children who live in homes that are classified as food insecure.
• A drop in the percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 who don't work and are not enrolled in high school or college.
• A rise in the percentage of children from birth to age 17 who live in counties in which one or more air pollutants were above allowable levels.
• An increase of one statistical point in the average math scores for 4th and 8th graders from 2009 to 2011. For a quick glance at the findings, click here. (Read more)

Ky. premature births declining, but still above national average

Giving birth to a baby before it has been brought to full term has become less common in the U.S. and Kentucky, but the nation still only received a C, and the state a D, in the 2011 Premature Birth Report Cards compiled by the March of Dimes. Each year, nearly half a million babies are born prematurely.

In Kentucky, 13.6 percent of women gave birth to babies prematurely in 2009, down by 0.4 percentage points over 2008. Only Vermont was given an A, with a pre-term birth rate of 9.3 percent, reports Bonnie Rochman of Time Healthland. Three states and Puerto Rico got Fs; 19 got Cs and 11, as well as the District of Columbia, got a D.

Data from 2006 to 2009 were analyzed. In 2009, the preliminary preterm birth rate was 12.2 percent, compared to 12.8 percent in 2006. The March of Dimes wants that number to drop to 9.6 percent by 2020. Pre-term birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the U.S.

The study analyzed three factors that can contribute to pre-term birth, including the percentage of uninsured women in each state and the percentage of women who smoke. Late pre-term birth, which occurs when a baby is born between 34 to 36 weeks gestation, was also considered, as it "has been linked to rising rates of early induction of labor and C-sections," the study says.

In Kentucky, the percentage of uninsured women has remained the same at 22.8 percent from 2006 to 2009. The smoking rate has dropped from 30.5 percent to 27.3 percent, as has the late pre-term birth rate, down to 9.7 percent from 10.2 percent. (For other states, click on the map above, then click on the state in the larger image.)

The pre-term birth rate was calculated by looking at the percentage of all live births in which the babies had reached 37 weeks gestation or less.

March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer Howse called the study results positive, "given that for the past 30 years, the rate of preterm birth has been increasing."

"It's not a lot, and the rate is still too high, but the good news is some things are starting to work," she said. (Read more)