Surgeon General Speaks Out on Premature Birth

Calls for “Redoubling Efforts to Find Causes of Preterm Labor” on Discovery Health Channel/March of Dimes Broadcast “Birth Day Live!”

 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., FEB. 17, 2004 – Alerting Americans to the common, serious and costly problem of premature birth, U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., made a special appearance on yesterday's nationally televised broadcast of the Discovery Health program, “Birth Day Live".  Discovery Health Channel, a national sponsor of March of Dimes WalkAmerica, partnered with the nonprofit on the production of this program.

“We must redouble our efforts to find causes of preterm labor,” said Dr. Carmona.  “We need to look at where the needs are greatest…It is the second-leading cause of infant death among all Americans, of all races.” 

Dr. Carmona began his week-long focus on prematurity and the importance of health literacy by addressing the National Library of Medicine Board of Directors in Bethesda, Maryland.  Speaking before the board, Dr. Carmona said, “The quality of the health information that Americans receive and their ability to understand and use that information is key to building a healthier America.”

“The partnership between Discovery Health Channel and the March of Dimes is a perfect  opportunity to combine resources and further generate awareness to the prevalence of preterm births nationwide," says Dr. Jennifer Howse president of the March of Dimes.  “Through this partnership we hope to educate women and their families about the risks of premature birth.  Ultimately, our goal is to lower the escalating rates of premature birth in the U.S, which have increased by 29 percent since 1981.” 

Dr. Howse noted that the March of Dimes is beginning the second year of a five-year, $75 million campaign to address the growing rate of premature birth. The campaign works to educate women on the signs and symptoms of premature birth, and to support more research into the causes.  One of the goals of the campaign is to reduce the rate of premature birth by 15 percent by 2007.

Discovery Health Channel is in its second year as national sponsor of the March of Dimes WalkAmerica.  Now in its 34th year, WalkAmerica supports lifesaving research and innovative programs to save babies from prematurity and birth defects.  This year WalkAmerica will take place in 1,100 communities nationwide with most events occurring the weekend of April 24-25.

As a national sponsor, Discovery Health participates in WalkAmerica events around the country, donates proceeds from an in-store retail promotion, benefiting WalkAmerica and its focus on preventing premature births, broadcasts hundreds of public service announcements throughout the year, and reports during Discovery Health newsbreaks on important infant health research and advocacy that the March of Dimes is funding.

For state-specific information on the rate of premature births, log on to marchofdimes.com/peristats.  You can also learn more about the signs and symptoms and the risks of prematurity by visiting marchofdimes.com or our Spanish Web site at nacersano.org.