Today, a baby born in Texas faces a greater risk of being premature than babies born in most other states. And in Houston, that risk is even higher. Prematurity is a common, costly, serious and largely silent health epidemic. The good news is that state and local health officials are poised to launch historic public health initiatives so that Houston could actually become an urban success story for healthy, full-term births.
First, a closer look at the problem. Texas' preterm birth rate is 13.1 percent, (Houston's is 13.6) compared to the national rate of 12.2.
On Nov. 1, Texas received a grade of "D" on the March of Dimes 2011 Premature Birth Report Card. Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn death. Babies who survive an early birth face an increased risk of life-long health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy or learning disabilities. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than "full-term" infants (39 weeks of pregnancy or more).
Although the Texas preterm birth rate has improved slightly in recent years, one out of every 8 babies (more than 50,000 infants) still is born too soon. Each early birth places a terrible emotional toll on families and a financial burden on the state health system. In fact, the first-year health and medical costs of one preterm birth are nearly 10 times more than a full-term birth.
But the problem hasn't gone unheeded. Concerned Houston community leaders and state health officials, including state Commissioner of Health Services Dr. David Lakey, are working with the March of Dimes and other partners to implement new strategies and programs to improve maternal access to health care, lower maternal smoking rates and improve the timing of elective deliveries - three modifiable risk factors that contribute significantly to Texas' high preterm birth rate.
Lakey, who also is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, has set a goal to reduce premature birth in Texas by 8 percent by 2014. That would mean more than 4,000 fewer Texas babies born preterm every year, saving the state and employers an estimated $170 million in health care costs.
The Texas March of Dimes developed two culturally sensitive prenatal education programs in Houston: Honey Child for the African-American community, and Comenzando Bien for the Hispanic community. These two education programs help thousands of women in Texas each year have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. The Texas March of Dimes also supports, through community grants, CenteringPregnancy - a new group model of prenatal care. Women who enroll in CenteringPrenancy have been shown to have lower preterm birth rates.
A new Houston-based program will be launched by the March of Dimes in January: "Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait," which bundles together proven consumer education strategies for prematurity prevention.
Three hospitals - Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center and The Woman's Hospital of Texas - will be the sites for the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait program, which combines early prenatal care and hospital-based quality improvement programs to eliminate unnecessary C-sections and inductions before a full 39 weeks of pregnancy. This program was successfully piloted for three years in Kentucky as a partnership between the March of Dimes, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute and the Kentucky Department for Public Health. We have every reason to believe the program also will be successful in Houston.
There is no single answer to the problem of premature birth. But Texas has taken the initiative to implement proven strategies and set a bold public goal of an 8 percent reduction by 2014. We applaud these important steps toward giving more babies in Texas a healthy start in life.
We'd also like to thank U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Michael C. Burgess, R-Lewisville, and Gene Green, D-Houston - three members of the Texas congressional delegation - for their sponsorship of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act (S.1440/H.R. 2679), a bill to advance our understanding of the causes of preterm birth and drive treatment and prevention.
Howse is president of the March of Dimes, and Guillory is a neonatologist and chairwoman of the March of Dimes Texas Chapter Public Affairs Committee.
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