Laura Riley, MD, medical director of Labor and Delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital, noted that one out of every six black babies is born prematurely.  Premature birth is the leading cause of death for African-American infants and is a major contributor to disease.
Virginia Floyd, M.D., MPH, executive director of PROMETRA USA and a member of the March of Dimes Board of Trustees, urged reporters attending the 32nd Annual NABJ Conference here to help raise awareness of community-based efforts to lower the rate of preterm birth.

“All of us in the black community face an urgent need to reverse this serious trend,” Dr. Floyd said.  “If we are going to reduce the premature birth rate, if we are going to reduce the infant mortality rate, we must focus our attention on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities that affect birth outcomes.” 

“Born Too Soon: Preterm Birth in the U.S. Black Population,” a report released during the session, shows that black women are much more likely to have a premature baby than women of another racial group.  Nearly 18 percent of African American babies are born too soon, compared to the national rate of 12.5 percent.  Babies who survive spend nearly ten times as long in a hospital compared to full term babies, and face risks of lifelong health challenges and developmental problems.

Betty Taylor, mother of March of Dimes 2007 National Ambassador Zeek Taylor, who was born 14 weeks premature, and Lynya Floyd, senior Editor of the Health and Relationships department at Essence magazine, also spoke at the event.  The session was moderated by Don Lemon of CNN Newsroom.

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  For more information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org for Spanish.

Related Links
Fact Sheet
Born Too Soon: Premature Birth in the U.S. Black Population
2007 National Ambassador: Zeek Taylor

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