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US
Born Too Soon and Too Small in the United States

In an Average Week in the United States
9,159
babies are born
preterm		 1,493
babies are
born very preterm		 5,937
babies are born
low birthweight		 1,113
babies are born
very low birthweight

Preterm and Low Birthweight Births in the United States
  1991 2001 2010 US Objective
Preterm 10.8% 11.9% 7.6%
Low Birthweight 7.1% 7.7% 5.0%
  • In 2001, there were 476,250 preterm births in the United States, representing 11.9% of live births.
     
  • Between 1991 and 2001 the rate of infants born preterm in the United States increased more than 10%.
     
  • The rate of preterm birth in the United States is highest for African Americans (17.6%), followed by Native Americans (12.8%), Hispanics (11.4%), Whites (10.6%) and Asians (10.2%).*
  • In 2000, charges for hospital stays for infants with any diagnosis of prematurity was estimated at $11.9 billion.
     
  • In the US, infants born to mothers less than 20 or over 35 years are more likely than infants born to mothers 20-35 to be preterm.
     
  • Some risk factors for preterm birth and low birthweight include: previous preterm and/or low birthweight birth, multiple birth, smoking, unplanned pregnancy, infections and poor nutrition.
March of Dimes National Prematurity Campaign - The Mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Prematurity/low birthweight is the leading cause of death in the first month of life. In addition to mortality, prematurity is a major determinant of illness and disability among infants, including developmental delays, chronic respiratory problems, and vision and hearing impairment. To address this growing problem, the March of Dimes has committed to a five-year national prematurity research, awareness, and education campaign to help families have healthier babies. For information on the signs and symptoms of preterm labor call the pregnancy & newborn health education center at 1-888-MODIMES or visit www.marchofdimes.com.
Footnotes:
  • Preterm refers to births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy.
  • Very preterm is less than 32 weeks.
  • Low birthweight infants weigh less than 2500 grams or 5 ½ pounds.
  • Very low birthweight infants weigh less than 1500 grams or 3 1/3 pounds.
  • Rates by race/ethnicity are calculated using 1999-2001 combined data.

    * Rates by race are for non-Hispanics.
 Sources:
  • National Center for Health Statistics, final natality data, 1991-2001.
  • Agency for Heathcare Research and Quality, National Inpatient Sample, 2000.
  • 2010 rates based on US Healthy People Objectives.

    For additional perinatal statistics visit: www.marchofdimes.com/peristats
June 2003
Copyright © 2003 March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. All rights reserved