Overview of the Global and US Burden of Preterm Birth

Victoria C Ward; Anne Cc Lee; Steven Hawken; Nancy A Otieno; Hilda A Mujuru; Gwendoline Chimhini; Kumanan Wilson; Gary L Darmstadt

doi:10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.015

Overview of the Global and US Burden of Preterm Birth

Clin Perinatol. 2024 Jun;51(2):301-311. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.015. Epub 2024 Apr 4.

Authors

Victoria C Ward¹, Anne Cc Lee², Steven Hawken³, Nancy A Otieno⁴, Hilda A Mujuru⁵, Gwendoline Chimhini⁵, Kumanan Wilson⁶, Gary L Darmstadt⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: vward@stanford.edu.
² Department of Pediatrics, Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
³ Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Center for Practice Changing Research, 501 Smyth Road, Box 201-B, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada.
⁴ Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Centre for Global Health Research, Division of Global Health Protection, Box 1578 Kisumu 40100, Kenya.
⁵ Department of Child Adolescent and Women's Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
⁶ Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Center for Practice Changing Research, 501 Smyth Road, Box 201-B, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Bruyère Research Institute, 43 Bruyère Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 5C8, Canada.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 453 Quarry Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.

PMID: 38705642
DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.015

Abstract

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children globally, yet its prevalence has been difficult to accurately estimate due to unreliable methods of gestational age dating, heterogeneity in counting, and insufficient data. The estimated global PTB rate in 2020 was 9.9% (95% confidence interval: 9.1, 11.2), which reflects no significant change from 2010, and 81% of prematurity-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia. PTB prevalence in the United States in 2021 was 10.5%, yet with concerning racial disparities. Few effective solutions for prematurity prevention have been identified, highlighting the importance of further research.

Keywords: Gestational age dating; Global burden of disease; Global health; Health disparities; Maternal health; Neonatal mortality; Newborn health; Preterm birth.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Female
Gestational Age
Global Health*
Humans
Infant Mortality
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Pregnancy
Premature Birth* / epidemiology
Prevalence
Risk Factors
United States / epidemiology