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State Has A Preemie Problem, Numbers Show

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 13, 2008

The odds of having a premature baby are high in Florida, compared with other states. The state ranks 41st, and receives a grade of F, in a "report card" issued Wednesday by the March of Dimes. The group, using figures from 2005, gives the nation a D.

More than half a million U.S. babies - one in every eight - are born premature each year, a toll that's risen steadily for two decades. The federal government's goal by 2010: no more than 7.6 percent of babies born before completion of the 37th week of pregnancy.

Some numbers:

13.8

Percentage of Florida babies who were preemies

9

Percentage of babies who were preemies in Vermont, the state with the lowest rate

18.8

Percentage of preemies born in Mississippi, the state with the highest rate

17

Percentage that Florida's preterm birth rate increased between 1995 and 2005

The report urges states to address three factors that play a role in the rising numbers:

•Lack of insurance, which translates into missed or late prenatal care. About one in four women of childbearing age in Florida has no health insurance coverage.

•Smoking, which increases the risks of prematurity, low birthweight and birth defects. About one in five women of childbearing age in Florida is a smoker.

•Late preemies, babies born between 34 and 37 weeks. Such births, linked to rising rates of early induction of labor and C-sections, are fueling the nation's prematurity rise. About one in 10 live births in Florida is late preterm. Being even a few weeks early can cause learning or behavioral delays and other problems.

Sources: The Associated Press, March of Dimes

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