Premature birth rates rise for second year in a row
By Jessie Hellmann - 11/01/17 05:24 PM EDT The rate of preterm birth in the U.S. has increased for the second year in a row, according to a new report released Wednesday by the March of Dimes.
The U.S. preterm birth rate increased from 9.6 percent of births in 2015 to 9.8 percent in 2016, according to the report.
The increase in the past few years follows nearly a decade of decline.
Black women are 49 percent more likely to deliver preterm compared to white woman, the report shows.
Preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
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http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/358315-premature-birth-rates-rise-for-second-year-in-a-row