West Virginia once again earns a “C” on the 2014 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card.
This year, the rate of late preterm births in West Virginia is at 9.1%.
West Virginia’s preterm birth rate was 12.5% percent in 2013, down from 14% in 2006. The state has received a “C” again this year on its report card.
The national preterm birth rate fell to 11.4 percent in 2013 – the lowest in 17 years — meeting the federal Healthy People 2020 goal seven years early. Despite this progress, the nation as a whole still received a “C” on its annual report card.
The US has the highest rate of preterm birth of any high resource country.
West Virginia is part of a national trend toward improved preterm birth rates.