Preterm births are seeing an uptick across New York and California, highlighting a worrying reversal in what had been years of improvement. A Gothamist report cites a March of Dimes study that indicated New York’s premature birth rate climbed from 8.9% in 2013 to 9.6% in 2023. Dr. Rodney Wright, vice-chair of obstetrics at Montefiore Medical Center, attributed the rise, which particularly affects areas like the Bronx, to chronic health issues such as diabetes and hypertension. The national picture isn't any more reassuring, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flagging an increase in preterm birth across the U.S. from 9.6% to 10.4% during roughly the same period.
Turning to the West Coast, a new study published in JAMA Network Open and led by Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski reveals a similar trend, with an upsurge in preterm births in California by more than 10 percent over the past decade. The study looked at over 5 million births and found that expectant mothers with conditions like diabetes were much more likely to give birth prematurely. Jelliffe-Pawlowski told NYU News, "These patterns and changes in risk factors should be setting off alarm bells." Racial and socioeconomic disparities persist, with Black and Native American mothers facing a higher risk for preterm birth.
In New York, various factors contribute to these rates, with more individuals choosing to get pregnant later in life, thus increasing the likelihood of chronic conditions. Darcy Dreyer, the director of maternal and child health at March of Dimes, noted to Gothamist the complexity of the issue, saying, "Women are often delaying having children until later in life, when they may be dealing with more chronic health conditions than they would have when they were younger." To counter this, Montefiore Medical Center has implemented specialized care for expectant patients, particularly those with diabetes, to improve health outcomes in subsequent pregnancies.
Meanwhile, socioeconomic factors also play a significant role. The California study found protective factors against preterm birth among low-income expectant mothers to include prenatal care participation and benefits like those from WIC, the supplemental nutrition program for women and children, although participation has declined. In terms of public health action, Jelliffe-Pawlowski emphasized the necessity "to do a better job of sharing information with pregnant people about risk factors for preterm birth and interventions that may be able to help them." Her team is working on a digital platform to help expectant mothers understand their risks and manage their health more effectively during pregnancy, as detailed by NYU News.
On the policy front, New York has enacted measures to address maternal and infant health, praised by the March of Dimes for policies such as Medicaid coverage for doulas and paid family leave. These actions are part of a broader effort to reverse the troubling trend and safeguard the health of mothers and infants alike.
