Arizona health care providers work to reduce preterm births

Arizona health care providers work to reduce preterm births Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death, with one in eight babies born prematurely in Arizona. State Health Service…

Arizona Healthcare Facilities Effort to Reduce Premature Birth Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant death, accounting for one in eight babies born prematurely in Arizona. The state Department of Health Services recently joined a national group advocating for healthy babies to reduce the number of premature babies. The Department of Health Services said 85,000 babies were born in the state in 2011, and 12.7 percent of the babies were premature, exceeding the national average of 12.2 percent. According to medical standards, babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are premature babies, and babies born at 39 weeks of pregnancy are full-term babies. The causes of premature babies vary. Some are caused by the child's health problems, while others are caused by the pregnant woman's smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, chronic diseases, etc. Others give birth early due to the special preferences of pregnant women who want to choose a special birth date for their children. People in the medical field believe that educating pregnant women on how to ensure the delivery of full-term babies is a major issue, and they urge pregnant women to do prenatal check-ups to reduce unnecessary premature births. Today, 40 of the state's 46 obstetrics hospitals have signed an agreement prohibiting induction of labor before 39 weeks of pregnancy in non-emergency situations. The Ministry of Health Services said it will strive to reduce the number of premature babies to about 8% of births by 2014.