March of Dimes report card shows increase in premature births for 4th year in row

DETROIT – The March of Dimes report card for this year shows that premature birth rates in the United States have increased for the fourth year in a row.

The report card ranks states by the number of babies born early. The country received a "C" rating overall, while only Oregon received an “A.” Several states in the south failed.

“We have more women, or having more challenges, even preconception, in terms of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other factors that leads them at the time of conception to have a pregnancy which may not be very healthy,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, with March of Dimes.

The report shows that there’s disproportions between geographic location and race. For instance, African American women are 50 percent more likely to deliver a baby prematurely.