U.S. Ranks 131st in World for Premature Birth Rate

Prenatal care is key to a healthy pregnancy, Azzuqa said, as is getting women to abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy and to quit smoking.

"There's a lot to be done," she said, adding that she was not surprised by the low U.S. ranking.

Howson, of the March of Dimes, added, "The U.S. has one of the highest survival rates [for preterm babies], but we're not doing such a great job to prevent preterm births from occurring in the first place."

SOURCES: Christopher P. Howson, Ph.D., vice president, global programs, March of Dimes; Abeer Azzuqa, M.D., assistant professor, pediatrics, Magee-Womens Hospital and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; May 2, 2012, Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Births

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Published: May 2012