Orange County Rated On Premature Births

IRVINE, CA — With the nation's preterm birth rate on the rise, Orange County received an "A" grade and Irvine had the healthiest rate of the top 100 cities, while the city and county of Los Angeles both received "B" grades on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card that was released Wednesday.

Preterm birth is the largest contributor to infant death in the United States and defined as any birth occurring before 37 weeks, with 40 being considered normal.

Irvine's rate of 5.8 percent made it the city with lowest premature birth rate in the U.S. among 100 cities with the most births, according to the report card, followed by Seattle at 6.9 percent and Portland at 7 percent. The highest rates were in Cleveland, 14.9 percent; Detroit, 13.9 percent; and Memphis and St. Louis, which tied at 13.3 percent.

Santa Ana placed fourth at 7.8 percent, Anaheim was sixth at 7.9 percent and Oxnard was 15th at 8.4 percent. Los Angeles was 27th at 9.1 percent.

Babies who survive an early birth often face serious and lifelong health problems, including breathing problems, jaundice, vision loss, cerebral palsy and intellectual delays, according to the March of Dimes, and preterm birth accounts for more than $26 billion annually in avoidable medical and societal costs, according to the National Academy of Medicine.

Nationally, the preterm rate increased from 9.6 percent of births in 2015 to 9.8 percent in 2016, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The nation got a "C" on the report card, while California earned a "B" rate, with the preterm rate in the state increasing to 8.6 percent in 2016 from 8.5 percent in 2015.

Orange County earned an "A" with a rate of 7.6 percent in 2015 -- the most recent year data is available for counties and cities -- up from 7.4 percent in 2014.

Los Angeles County's rate of 8.8 percent in 2015 was up from 8.5 percent in 2014, and the city of Los Angeles' rate was 9.1 percent, up from 8.9 percent in 2014.

Across the country, black women are 49 percent more likely to deliver preterm compared to white women and American Indian/Alaska Native women are 18 percent more likely to deliver preterm compared to white women, according to the March of Dimes.

"The 2017 March of Dimes Report Card demonstrates that moms and babies in this country face a higher risk of preterm birth based on race and zip code," said Stacey Stewart, the nonprofit's president.

Four states earned an "A" on the report card; 13 states received a "B"; 18 states got a "C"; 11 states and the District of Columbia got a "D"; and four states and Puerto Rico received an "F."

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo, courtesy Tim Bish via Unsplash