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Complete Health Indicator Report of Preterm birth

Definition

The number of live births under 37 weeks gestation divided by the total number of live births over the same time period.

Numerator

Number of live born infants born less than 37 weeks gestation.

Denominator

Total number of live births.

Data Interpretation Issues

Reporting of preterm birth (PTB) trends has been complicated by a change in how gestational age (GA) is reported by the National Center for Health Statistics. PTB is defined as a birth less than 37 weeks gestation. Historically, GA was calculated by the mother's last menstrual period (LMP) and PTB rates were reported this way. Since the 2003 revision of the birth certificate, GA is also reported by obstetric estimate (OE), which is considered more accurate. Beginning in 2007, national rates are reported using OE and are not consistent with rates reported before 2007. Utah rates have been reported using OE since 1996.

Why Is This Important?

Preterm birth, birth before 37 weeks gestation, is the leading cause of perinatal death in otherwise normal newborns and is a leading cause of long-term neurological disabilities in children. Infants born preterm bear the biggest burden of infant deaths, with 68% of infant deaths from 2017-2021 born before 37 weeks. Babies born preterm also have increased risks for long-term morbidities and often require intensive care after birth. Healthcare costs and length of hospital stay are higher for premature infants. For a preterm infant, average hospital stays are about 10 times longer than all infants combined. Utah inpatient hospital discharge data (2022) indicate that average hospital charges for a premature infant were $125,128 compared to $16,220 for all deliveries combined. These same data indicate that the average length of stay for a premature infant was 22 days compared to 2 days for all newborn infants.

Other Objectives

The Healthy People 2030 has an objective of reducing Preterm Births- MICH-07 with a baseline of 10% (2018) and a goal of 9.4%.

How Are We Doing?

The Utah preterm birth rate increased from 8.8% in 1990 to a high of 10.1% in 2005. The rate has remained under 10% from 2006 to the present. The percentage of infants born preterm in Utah was 9.35% in 2023 and 2022, a decrease from 9.88% in 2021.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The U.S. preterm birth rate was 10.41% in 2023, essentially unchanged from 10.38 in 2022. The percentage of infants born preterm decreased from 2007 (the first year for which national data are available based on the obstetric estimate of gestation) to 2014, and generally increased from 2015 to 2021 when it reached a 15-year maximum of 10.49%. Available from: [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db507.pdf]. The Utah 2022 rate of 9.35% is below the national rate of 10.38% and marginally below the Healthy People 2030 goal of 9.4%. In 2007, the U.S. began reporting preterm birth rates based on obstetric estimates rather than based on the last menstrual period (LMP) making it difficult to compare Utah to the U.S. farther back than 2007. The obstetric estimate has been shown to more accurately reflect the true gestational age of the infant than LMP.

What Is Being Done?

Approximately half of the preterm births in Utah are due to complications of the pregnancy (multiple births, placental problems, fetal distress, infections) or maternal health factors such as high blood pressure or uterine malformations. The remaining preterm births have unexplained causes. In an effort to reduce the preterm birth rate, emphasis is being placed on maternal preconception health to help women achieve optimal health prior to pregnancy. Some ways women can achieve optimal health include stopping the use of tobacco and alcohol, controlling chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and obtaining an optimal pre-pregnancy weight. Early and continuous prenatal care is encouraged to detect problems that may arise during pregnancy. Education should be provided on the urgent maternal warning signs ([https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html]) and the importance of recognition and treatment for these symptoms. Standards for assisted reproductive technology should be followed to reduce the frequency of twins or higher-order multiple pregnancies. Pregnant women should also be referred for appropriate services such as Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) and psychosocial counseling.

Available Services

'''Baby Your Baby Hotline:''' 1-800-826-9662[[br]] A public resource to answer pregnancy related questions and locate services. '''The Maternal and Inftnt Health website:''' [https://mihp.utah.gov/][[br]] Public education about how to be at optimal health before, during and after pregnancy. '''Utah Tobacco Quit Line:''' 1-888-567-8788 '''Utah Women and Newborn Quality Collaborative:''' [https://mihp.utah.gov/uwnqc/][[br]] Provider and patient education about improving maternal and neonatal outcomes through collaborative efforts centered on quality improvement methodology and data sharing. '''MotherToBaby:'''[[br]] Phone - 1-800-822-2229[[br]] Text - 1-855-999-3525[[br]] Email - expertinfo@mothertobaby.org[[br]] Live Chat- [http://www.mothertobaby.org][[br]] A service to answer questions about what's safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding.[[br]] [[br]] Social media for MotherToBaby include: *Facebook: [http://www.facebook.com/MotherToBaby] *Twitter: @MotherToBaby *Pinterest: [http://www.pinterest.com/MotherToBaby][[br]] [[br]] '''Baby Watch Early Intervention Hotline:''' 1-800-961-4226[[br]] Utah's network of services for children, birth to three years of age, with developmental delay or disabilities. '''March of Dimes''' [http://www.marchofdimes.org][[br]] The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.[[br]] *Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/marchofdimes][[br]] *Twitter: @MarchofDimes[[br]] *YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/marchofdimes][[br]] [[br]] '''University of Utah Health Care Parent-to-Parent Support Group:''' 1-801-581-2098[[br]] Support Program for families of high risk/critically ill newborns.


Related Indicators

Relevant Population Characteristics

Data show the following population subgroups at higher risk of having a preterm birth: *Race (Utah mothers who were Black/African American, Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) *Maternal age (mothers older than 35) *Lower educational attainment (high school diploma or less) *Being unmarried

Related Relevant Population Characteristics Indicators:


Health Care System Factors

Data show the following health care system factors contribute to a higher risk of having a preterm infant: *Access to prenatal care

Related Health Care System Factors Indicators:


Risk Factors

Data show the following risk factors contribute to having a preterm birth: *Previous preterm births *Pre-pregnancy BMI (obese prior to pregnancy) *Intervals less than 6 months between pregnancies or > 48 months *Multiple gestation (e.g. twins) *Tobacco use during pregnancy *Maternal chronic disease, such as hypertension or diabetes

Related Risk Factors Indicators:


Health Status Outcomes

The following outcomes are related to preterm birth: *Health problems (including abnormal growth and infant death) *Costs associated with low birth weight births, premature births, and maternal and infant mortality and morbidity

Related Health Status Outcomes Indicators:




Graphical Data Views

Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation) by county, Utah, 2021-2023 and U.S., 2023

::chart - missing::
confidence limits

CountyPercentage of live born infantsLower LimitUpper LimitNote
Record Count: 31
Beaver9.4%6.5%13.4%
Box Elder10.0%8.9%11.3%
Cache9.0%8.3%9.8%
Carbon12.0%9.6%14.8%
Daggett****
Davis10.1%9.6%10.6%
Duchesne11.3%9.2%13.7%
Emery8.5%5.9%12.0%
Garfield11.2%7.1%17.2%
Grand4.2%2.3%7.5%
Iron9.1%8.0%10.3%
Juab7.9%5.9%10.4%
Kane10.6%7.3%15.2%
Millard8.1%6.0%10.8%
Morgan8.2%5.9%11.4%
Piute**5.2%25.2%*
Rich**4.2%17.1%*
Salt Lake9.5%9.2%9.8%
San Juan8.0%5.8%10.7%
Sanpete8.7%7.2%10.5%
Sevier14.1%11.9%16.6%
Summit7.7%6.3%9.3%
Tooele10.4%9.4%11.5%
Uintah10.5%9.0%12.2%
Utah9.1%8.8%9.4%
Wasatch9.0%7.5%10.9%
Washington8.6%8.0%9.3%
Wayne**3.8%15.7%*
Weber10.9%10.3%11.5%
State9.5%9.4%9.7%
U.S.10.4%2023 Provisional Data

Data Notes

Note: County represents county of mother's residence. * Use caution in interpreting rates for estimates with an asterisk. These estimates have a coefficient of variation >30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. ** The estimates for Daggett, Piute, Rich, and Wayne counties have been suppressed because 1) the relative standard error is greater than 50% or the relative standard error can't be determined or 2) the observed number of events is very small and not appropriate for publication. U.S. data is provisional. Preterm birth is calculated by obstetric estimate.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation) by mother's race, Utah and U.S., 2023

::chart - missing::
confidence limits

RacePercentage of live born infantsLower LimitUpper LimitNote
Record Count: 9
American Indian/Alaska Native10.5%7.7%14.0%
Asian10.4%8.7%12.3%
Black, African American11.1%8.9%13.7%
Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander11.5%9.3%14.0%
White9.1%8.8%9.4%
Other10.6%9.5%11.8%
Two or more races9.6%8.3%11.0%
All races9.4%9.1%9.6%
U.S.10.4%2023 Provisional Data

Data Notes

U.S. data is provisional. Preterm birth is calculated by obstetric estimate.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation) by mother's ethnicity, Utah and U.S., 2023

::chart - missing::
confidence limits

Hispanic ethnicityPercentage of live born infantsLower LimitUpper LimitNote
Record Count: 5
Hispanic/Latino10.3%9.7%10.9%
Non-Hispanic/Latino9.1%8.8%9.4%
Unknown ethnicity14.2%10.6%18.9%
All ethnicities9.4%9.1%0.6%
U.S.10.4%2023 Provisional Data

Data Notes

U.S. data is provisional. Preterm birth is calculated by obstetric estimate.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation) by local health district, Utah and U.S., 2023

::chart - missing::
confidence limits

Local health districtPercentage of live born infantsLower LimitUpper LimitNote
Record Count: 15
Bear River9.6%8.6%10.8%
Central8.3%6.8%10.0%
Davis County10.2%9.3%11.1%
Salt Lake County9.5%9.0%10.0%
San Juan8.2%4.7%14.0%*
Southeast9.8%7.2%13.2%
Southwest8.6%7.6%9.6%
Summit8.1%5.7%11.4%
Tooele9.8%8.1%11.7%
TriCounty9.3%7.4%11.7%
Utah County8.8%8.3%9.4%
Wasatch10.4%7.7%14.0%
Weber-Morgan10.3%9.4%11.4%
State of Utah9.4%9.1%9.6%
U.S.10.4%2023 Provisional Data

Data Notes

Note: Local health district represents district of mother's residence. U.S. data is provisional. Preterm birth is calculated by obstetric estimate.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation) by Utah Small Area, 2021-2023 and U.S., 2023

::chart - missing::
confidence limits

Utah Small AreasPercentage of live born infantsLower LimitUpper LimitNote
Record Count: 101
Brigham City9.8%8.0%11.8%
Box Elder Co (Other) V210.6%8.1%13.7%
Tremonton9.8%8.1%12.0%
Logan V28.7%7.6%9.8%
North Logan10.1%8.5%12.0%
Cache (Other)/Rich (All) V27.9%6.3%9.8%
Hyrum8.1%6.1%10.6%
Smithfield10.0%8.0%12.4%
Ben Lomond11.5%10.3%12.8%
Weber County (East)8.9%7.4%10.7%
Morgan County8.2%5.9%11.3%
Ogden (Downtown)10.5%9.3%12.0%
South Ogden11.5%9.9%13.2%
Roy/Hooper10.9%9.5%12.5%
Riverdale10.4%8.6%12.4%
Clearfield Area/Hooper11.2%10.2%12.3%
Layton/South Weber9.6%8.7%10.7%
Kaysville/Fruit Heights8.3%6.8%10.0%
Syracuse10.6%9.0%12.4%
Centerville10.2%7.9%13.1%
Farmington6.6%5.0%8.7%
North Salt Lake12.0%10.2%14.2%
Woods Cross/West Bountiful10.6%8.4%13.3%
Bountiful10.2%8.8%11.7%
SLC (Rose Park)10.8%9.2%12.7%
SLC (Avenues)8.9%6.6%11.8%
SLC (Foothill/East Bench)7.1%5.3%9.4%
Magna10.7%9.2%12.5%
SLC (Glendale) V211.1%9.2%13.2%
West Valley (Center)10.6%9.3%12.0%
West Valley (West) V29.4%7.9%11.3%
West Valley (East) V210.1%8.9%11.4%
SLC (Downtown) V211.3%9.3%13.8%
SLC (Southeast Liberty)7.8%5.8%10.4%
South Salt Lake9.5%7.8%11.5%
SLC (Sugar House)7.8%6.3%9.5%
Millcreek (South)8.0%6.1%10.5%
Millcreek (East)7.9%6.1%10.1%
Holladay V29.0%7.1%11.3%
Cottonwood7.2%5.8%8.8%
Kearns V211.2%9.8%12.7%
Taylorsville (E)/Murray (W)10.5%9.0%12.2%
Taylorsville (West)10.3%8.8%12.0%
Murray10.1%8.7%11.8%
Midvale10.1%8.7%11.7%
West Jordan (Northeast) V29.0%7.5%10.8%
West Jordan (Southeast)10.8%9.2%12.5%
West Jordan (W)/Copperton9.5%8.3%10.9%
South Jordan V28.7%7.2%10.4%
Daybreak9.1%7.8%10.6%
Sandy (West)10.2%8.6%12.1%
Sandy (Center) V29.5%7.8%11.6%
Sandy (Northeast)8.7%6.6%11.3%
Sandy (Southeast)8.2%6.3%10.6%
Draper9.0%7.6%10.6%
Riverton/Bluffdale9.1%7.9%10.4%
Herriman8.2%7.3%9.2%
Tooele County (Other)9.0%7.2%11.3%
Tooele Valley10.6%9.5%11.9%
Eagle Mountain/Cedar Valley9.7%8.8%10.7%
Lehi10.0%9.1%10.8%
Saratoga Springs9.2%8.1%10.3%
American Fork9.2%8.1%10.4%
Alpine7.0%4.5%10.7%
Pleasant Grove/Lindon9.0%7.9%10.2%
Orem (North)10.0%8.7%11.5%
Orem (West)7.8%6.9%8.8%
Orem (East)8.3%6.7%10.2%
Provo/BYU7.8%6.6%9.2%
Provo (West City Center)9.5%8.3%10.9%
Provo (East City Center)8.8%7.4%10.3%
Salem City9.4%7.0%12.4%
Spanish Fork9.4%8.2%10.6%
Springville7.3%6.2%8.6%
Mapleton8.7%6.6%11.5%
Utah County (South) V210.0%8.4%11.8%
Payson9.6%8.1%11.2%
Park City8.0%6.1%10.4%
Summit County (East)7.1%5.2%9.6%
Wasatch County8.8%7.3%10.6%
Daggett and Uintah County10.7%9.2%12.4%
Duchesne County10.8%8.8%13.1%
Nephi/Mona7.8%5.7%10.5%
Delta/Fillmore7.5%5.2%10.6%
Sanpete Valley9.2%7.3%11.4%
Central (Other)8.8%7.2%10.8%
Richfield/Monroe/Salina15.4%12.7%18.5%
Carbon County11.6%9.4%14.4%
Emery County9.3%6.6%12.9%
Grand County4.3%2.4%7.6%
Blanding/Monticello8.3%5.5%12.2%
San Juan County (Other)8.2%4.7%14.0%
St. George8.7%7.8%9.6%
Washington Co (Other) V27.1%4.9%10.1%
Washington City8.3%6.8%10.0%
Hurricane/La Verkin8.5%6.9%10.5%
Ivins/Santa Clara8.8%6.6%11.7%
Cedar City9.0%7.8%10.2%
Southwest LHD (Other)10.5%8.6%12.6%
State of Utah9.5%9.4%9.7%
U.S.10.4%2023 Provisional Data

Data Notes

Note: Utah Small Area represents area of mother's residence. A description of the Utah Small Areas may be found on IBIS at the following URL: [https://ibis.utah.gov/ibisph-viuew/resource/Guidelines.html]. U.S. data is provisional. Preterm birth is calculated by obstetric estimate.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Preterm births (less than 37 weeks gestation), Utah and U.S., 1997-2023

::chart - missing::

BRFSS Utah vs. U.S.YearPercentage of live born infantsNote
Record Count: 54
US Old Methodology199711.4%
US Old Methodology199811.6%
US Old Methodology199911.8%
US Old Methodology200011.6%
US Old Methodology200111.9%
US Old Methodology200212.1%
US Old Methodology200312.3%
US Old Methodology200412.5%
US Old Methodology200512.7%
US Old Methodology200612.8%
UT New Methodology19979.9%
UT New Methodology199810.1%
UT New Methodology19999.2%
UT New Methodology20009.5%
UT New Methodology20019.3%
UT New Methodology20029.5%
UT New Methodology20039.5%
UT New Methodology200410.0%
UT New Methodology200510.1%
UT New Methodology20069.9%
UT New Methodology20079.5%
UT New Methodology20089.7%
UT New Methodology20099.8%
UT New Methodology20109.5%
UT New Methodology20119.4%
UT New Methodology20129.1%
UT New Methodology20139.1%
UT New Methodology20149.1%
UT New Methodology20159.3%
UT New Methodology20169.6%
UT New Methodology20179.4%
UT New Methodology20189.4%
UT New Methodology20199.7%
UT New Methodology20209.3%
UT New Methodology20219.9%
UT New Methodology20229.4%
UT New Methodology20239.4%
US New Methodology200710.4%
US New Methodology200810.4%
US New Methodology200910.1%
US New Methodology201010.0%
US New Methodology20119.8%
US New Methodology20129.8%
US New Methodology20139.6%
US New Methodology20149.6%
US New Methodology20159.6%
US New Methodology20169.9%
US New Methodology20179.9%
US New Methodology201810.0%
US New Methodology201910.2%
US New Methodology202010.1%
US New Methodology202110.5%
US New Methodology202210.4%
US New Methodology202310.4%2023 provisional data

Data Notes

2023 U.S. data is provisional. U.S. data prior to 2007 is based on gestational age from last menstrual period (LMP) versus gestation based on the obstetric estimate (OE). U.S. data of gestation based on the OE has been revised back to 2007. Utah data is calculated by OE. Beginning in 2007, national rates are reported using OE and are not consistent with rates reported before 2007.

Data Sources

  • Utah Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

References and Community Resources

[http://mchb.hrsa.gov][[br]] [http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/index.htm][[br]] [http://www.marchofdimes.com]

More Resources and Links

Evidence-based community health improvement ideas and interventions may be found at the following sites:

Additional indicator data by state and county may be found on these Websites:

Medical literature can be queried at the PubMed website.

Page Content Updated On 10/04/2024, Published on 10/22/2024
Maternal and Infant Health Program, Office of Maternal and Child Health, Utah Department of Health and Human Services | Phone: 801-273-2871 | Website: mihp.utah.gov | Contact: Nickee Andjelic | Email: npalacios@utah.gov
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health's Center for Health Data IBIS-PH web site (http://epht.health.utah.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 26 December 2024 3:59:55 from Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://epht.health.utah.gov ".

Content updated: Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:09:40 MDT