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Percentage of Preterm (Less Than 37 Weeks Gestation) Live Singleton Births by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021

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Percentage of Preterm (Less Than 37 Weeks Gestation) Live Singleton Births by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021

  • **The estimate has been suppressed because the number of events and population size are small and not appropriate for publication, or it could be used to calculate the number in a cell that has been suppressed.
  • #This count or rate is statistically unstable (RSE >0.30), and may fluctuate widely across time periods due to random variation (chance). Please use caution in interpreting this value, or combine years, areas, or age groups to increase the population size.

Why Is This Important?

Approximately one in ten babies born each year in the United States is born prematurely (<37 weeks gestation). Infants born prematurely, especially those with a low birthweight (LBW), are at an increased risk for neurological problems ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to cerebral palsy or intellectual disabilities compared to infants born at term gestation. Preterm birth is associated with nearly half of all congenital neurological defects, such as gastroschisis (CDC NEPHT Program, 2022). Exposure to PM2.5 and ozone, and to a lesser degree, heat, have been linked with an increased risk of preterm birth (Bekkar et al., 2020). Several other environmental exposures have been implicated as risk factors for premature birth (e.g., persistent organic pesticides, phthalates, metals and metalloids, and endocrine-disrupting compounds) but more evidence is needed to establish causality (CDC NEPHT Program, 2022). In addition, neighborhood-level characteristics such as certain aspects of the built environment also contribute to prematurity (CDC NEPHT Program, 2022). On average between 2018 and 2020, preterm birth rates were highest for Black infants (14.2%), followed by American Indian/Alaska Natives (11.6%), Hispanics (9.8%), Whites (9.2%), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (8.8%) (March of Dimes, 2023).

Definition

Number of preterm (<37 weeks gestation) live singleton births divided by the total number of singleton live births in the same year.

Data Notes

Data for combined years 2017-2021.

Data Source

Birth Certificate Data, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS), Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/bvrhs/vrp/)

How the Measure is Calculated

  • Numerator:

    Number of preterm (<37 weeks gestation) live singleton births.

  • Denominator:

    Total number of singleton live births.

Data Issues

Birth certificate information is submitted electronically by hospital medical records staff who use standard mother and facility worksheets and medical charts to collect the needed information. Training of hospital staff is provided by the Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS). The birth certificate information is reviewed by BVRHS for completeness and consistency with state law and NMDOH and national guidelines. BVRHS will contact hospital staff for clarification of missing, inconsistent or incorrect entries. CDC's National Center for Health Statistics provides feedback to BVRHS on data quality and the NMDOH provides feedback to the hospitals to improve data quality and training.

Health Topic Pages Related to: Birth Outcomes - Preterm Singleton Births

Indicator Data Last Updated On 02/02/2023, Published on 05/23/2023
Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau, Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health, 1190 S. Saint Francis Drive, Suite 1300, Santa Fe, NM 87505, Srikanth Paladugu, Bureau Chief, Srikanth.Paladugu@doh.nm.gov, or Chelsea Langer, Environmental Epidemiologist Supervisor, Chelsea.Langer@doh.nm.gov