Study shows 13.4m babies born before 37 full weeks
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
An estimated 13.4 million babies were born before 37 full weeks of pregnancy in 2020, which means 1 in 10 babies worldwide were born prematurely, a new study has shown.
The study was published in medical journal Lancet by authors from the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
It lamented the impact on health and survival, saying poor maternal health and malnutrition contribute to high numbers of preterm births.
The authors said since prematurity is the leading cause of death in children’s early years, there is an urgent need to strengthen both care for preterm babies as well as prevention efforts, particularly, maternal health and nutrition to improve childhood survival.
“For those who live, preterm birth also significantly increases the likelihood of suffering major illnesses, disability and developmental delays, and even chronic diseases as adults like diabetes and heart conditions,” the study said.
As with other major trends on maternal health, no region of the world significantly reduced rates of preterm births over the past decade.
The annual global rate of reduction in preterm births between 2010 and 2020 was just 0.14 per cent.
“Preterm babies are especially vulnerable to life-threatening health complications and they need special care and attention,” explained Anshu Banerjee, WHO Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing.
“These numbers show an urgent need for serious investment in services available to support them and their families as well as a greater focus on prevention in particular, ensuring access to quality health care before and during every pregnancy.”
The study provides global, regional, and country estimates and trends for preterm births between 2010 and 2020, showing large disparities between regions and countries.
The researchers said around 65 per cent of preterm births in 2020 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where more than 13 per cent of babies were born preterm.
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Worst and least affected countries
The rates in the worst affected countries – Bangladesh (16.2 per cent), Malawi (14.5 per cent) and Pakistan (14.3 per cent) – are three or four times higher than those in the least affected countries – Serbia (3.8 per cent), Moldova (4 per cent) and Kazakhstan (4.7 per cent).
Preterm birth is not just an issue in low and middle-income countries, however, as the data shows it affects families in all parts of the world.
Rates of 10 per cent or higher occur in some high-income countries such as Greece (11.6 per cent) and the United States (10 per cent).
Studies have shown maternal health risks, such as adolescent pregnancy, infections, poor nutrition, and pre-eclampsia, are closely linked to preterm births.
The new study also noted quality antenatal care is critical to detect and manage complications, to ensure accurate pregnancy dating through early ultrasound scans, and if needed, to delay labour through approved treatments.
