After several years

of steady decline, premature birth rates are increasing again in Florida and across the nation, according to the March of Dimes.

March of Dimes’ 2017 Premature Birth Report Card.

Statewide, the premature After several years of birth rate ticked up from 10 steady decline, premature percent to 10.1 percent bebirth rates are increasing tween 2015 and 2016, making again, in Florida and across Florida one of 18 states to get a the nation, according to the C. March of Dimes’ annual re“The way I interpret the port released on Wednesday. 0.1-percent increase is that

In Orange County, the rate progress has stopped occurof premature births increased ring,” said Dr. Karen Harris, from 9.6 percent to 10.5 perchair of the maternal child cent between 2015 and 2016, care committee for the Florlowering the county’s letter ida chapter of the March of grade from a C to a D. Dimes. “And that’s very frus

The increase is concerning trating.” because preterm birth is assoPreterm birth is when a ciated with higher medical baby is born before 37 weeks costs and increased risk of of pregnancy. death, cerebral palsy, devel“We have a health crisis in opmental delays and other this country. If this rate was complications such as breathfor any other condition, we ing problems, and vision and wouldn’t accept it,” said Harhearingris.issuesforthebabies in the short and long-term. It’s difficult to pinpoint the

Overall in the U.S., the rate driver of the increase. of preterm births increased Premature birth is a comby 0.2 percentage points to 9.8 plex medical and social issue. percent in 2016, giving the naThere are some underlying tion a C grade, according to racial differences, too. In Florida and nationwide, black women are almost twice as likely to have premature babies than other racial and ethnic groups.

In nearly half of all cases, the cause is unknown.

“We haven’t figured out how to prevent prematurity,” said Dr. Jose Perez, a neonatologist and corporate medical director at Winnie Palmer Hospital.

While researchers sift through human genes to find a potential culprit, other studies are pointing to women’s overall health and access to care as some of the underlying factors leading to premature birth.

“The risk of delivering a baby prematurely is based on your neighborhood,” said Harris. “So much of when the baby delivers is determined by the time when the embryo implants into the uterus — the very beginning of the