Compassionate Capitalism - March 2003

March of Dimes

Fighting Premature Births

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs for research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies.

Citing the increase in the number of premature babies in the country and the problems they face, the March of Dimes recently kicked off a new national five-year, $75 million Prematurity Campaign. The effort will raise awareness, educate women about the signs and symptoms of preterm labor, support parents of babies in neonatal intensive care units, increase research to find the causes of premature birth, assist healthcare practitioners and expand access to health insurance.

Preterm refers to births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy. Prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life. In addition, it is a major determinant of illness and disability among infants, including developmental delays, chronic respiratory problems and vision and hearing impairment.

"Nationally, the annual rate of babies born prematurely has risen 27 percent since 1981, and in Nevada, the rate increased nearly 13 percent between 1990 and 2000," said Dale Andreason, director of the Nevada March of Dimes chapter, based in Las Vegas. "These rates are too high. Many of these babies come into the world with serious health problems. Those who survive may suffer life-long consequences, from cerebral palsy and mental retardation to blindness. It is vital for the well-being of babies in our community that we take action about the problem of premature birth now."

In 2000, more than 3,828 babies in Nevada were born preterm, representing 12.5 percent of the 30,829 births. The state’s rate of preterm birth is 18.7 percent for African Americans, 13 percent for Native Americans, 12.6 percent for Hispanics and 12.1 percent for Caucasians.

Some risk factors for preterm birth and low birth weight include: previous birth of preterm and/or low birth-weight child, multiple birth, smoking, unplanned pregnancy, infections and poor nutrition. Other related factors are Nevada’s high rate of teenage pregnancy, large number of uninsured, lack of prenatal care options, unavailability of obstetricians and transient population.

"Our history, track record and mission to improve infant health uniquely qualify the March of Dimes to lead this effort," said Dr. Jennifer Howse, March of Dimes president. "But this will be a tough campaign – more difficult than finding a vaccine for polio and folic acid education. We can’t do this alone; we need the support of the American public, health professionals, the corporate community and federal and state government officials.

"We need to educate women about preterm labor, work with medical personnel to support risk detection, invest more federal and private research dollars and expand access to healthcare in order to find out why this is happening to our mothers and babies," she said. "For thousands of families every year, the answers can’t come soon enough."

Southern Nevadans are invited to join ranks with millions of walkers across the United States to participate in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Now in its 33rd year, WalkAmerica supports March of Dimes’ lifesaving research and innovative programs. The event will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 19, at UNLV’s McDermott Center, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Registration for the walk begins at 7:30 a.m.

Walkers are encouraged to ask friends, family, business associates and others to sponsor them for WalkAmerica by making a donation to the March of Dimes Foundation.

For more information on WalkAmerica, call (702) 732-WALK (9255), or visit the Web site at www.walkamerica.org.

For information about March of dimes or about prematurity, visit marchofdimes.com or call 1-888-MODIMES.