U.S. Gets 'D' in Preterm Birth Report Card

[HuckleB]

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20091117/us-gets-d-in-preterm-birth-report-card

"Seven states improved their grades and two dropped a letter to "F" in the 2009 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, in which the U.S. as a whole earned a "D" for the second straight year, a new report says.

Idaho, Utah, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts improved their grades from D's to C's, and Missouri, Arizona, and Indiana went from F's to D's. Ohio and Oklahoma dropped from D's to F's.

Just as in last year's first report card, no state earned an A, and only Vermont scored a B.

Grades were determined by comparing preterm birth rates to the national Healthy People 2010 preterm birth objective, which is 7.6 % of all live births.

..."

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But we have the best health care system in the world, dangit!

[LeftishBrit]

1. Really worrying...

even 7 to 8% (the target) isn't the ideal; it is about that in the UK, and there is a lot of concern here that it is too high. Most countries in Western Europe do better.

Prematurity, especially severe prematurity, is known to be associated with a significantly increased risk of all kinds of medical and cognitive problems (including autism), so it is a matter for serious concern.