Nearly 28,000 babies died before their first birthday, according to new infant mortality statistics for 2003 released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life and preventing premature birth remains at the forefront of the March of Dimes agenda," said Nancy Green, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes.
"We must be more focused upon reversing the stagnancy in the rate of infant mortality, a key indicator of child health, including working to reduce preterm and low birthweight births."
In 2003 birth defects, as well as prematurity and low birthweight remained the leading causes of infant death, according to the NCHS.
The percentage of infant deaths occurring to babies born premature (less than 37 weeks gestation) or with a low birthweight (less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds) increased 9 percent between 1995 and 2003, according to an analyses by the March of Dimes.
Babies born at less than 28 weeks gestation accounted for less than 1 percent (0.7 percent) all live births but nearly half (46.4 percent) of all U.S. infant deaths in 2003.
Babies born to Black mothers continued to have the highest rate of infant deaths at 13.5 per 1,000 live births, while Asians had the lowest rate at 4.8.
The March of Dimes "I Want My Nine Months" educational campaign aims to inform women and their doctors what they can do-- even before pregnancy -- to help give babies their full nine months of gestation.
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