March of Dimes gives NJ a C+ for preterm birth rate

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The March of Dimes released its annual report card Nov. 16, which examines the U.S. preterm birth rate — a number that “remains alarmingly high.” 

The 2023 March of Dimes Report Card: The State of Maternal and Infant Health for American Families also showed “persistent racial disparities across key maternal and infant health indicators.” 

Nationwide, the preterm birth rate improved only 1% to 10.4% from last year’s all-time high of 10.5%, earning the country a D+ for a second consecutive year, the Arlington, Va.-based organization noted. 

Faring only slightly better than the rest of the country, in New Jersey, the preterm birth rate was 9.3% in 2022, up from 9.2% in 2021. The state was given a C+, along with Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Utah. No state earned an A, while eight states and Puerto Rico earned an F.

“The U.S. remains among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth with early data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing a 3% increase in infant mortality in 2022—the largest spike in over two decades,” the organization said.

According to the March of Dimes – a nonprofit that works to improve the health of mothers and babies – preterm birth is one of the leading causes of infant death. The 2023 Report Card shows that 380,548 babies were born before 37 weeks. Full term is about 40 weeks, the organization notes. 

“This year’s report shows the state of infant and maternal health in the United States remains at crisis-level, with grave disparities that continue to widen the health equity gap,” Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, March of Dimes president and CEO, said in a statement.  

The report also gave counties individual grades, with Ocean (7.2%, no change from 2021) and Morris (7.3%, improved from 2021) earning As. Passaic County, recording a “worsened” 11.7% preterm birth rate, was the only locale to earn an F grade. 

Additionally, the preterm birth rate in New Jersey among babies born to Black women is 1.5 times higher than the rate among all other babies, citing 2020-2022 natality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. 

However, the infant mortality rate has decreased in the past decade in the Garden State, dropping from 5.1 in 2011 to 3.6 in 2021 (per 1,000 live births). The national rate was 5.4 in 2021. But the March of Dimes also noted the racial disparity in New Jersey’s infant mortality rate; with the rate for babies born to Black parents at 2.4 times the state rate. 

The report card noted that, nationally, maternal deaths are on the rise, with the rate doubling between 2018 to 2021, from 17.4 to 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. 

“We have long known that many of the factors impacting poor outcomes for moms and babies can and must be addressed if we are to reverse these trends. The fact is, we are not prioritizing the health of moms and babies in this country, and our systems, policies, and environments, as they stand today, continue to put families at great risk,” Cherot added. 

Maternal and infant health is one of the initiatives of First Lady Tammy Murphy, who announced her run for the U.S. Senate Nov. 15, saying she was compelled to do so “because New Jersey’s kids and families deserve better – plain and simple.” Murphy launched her Nurture NJ initiative in 2019 with the goal of lowering the state’s maternal and infant mortality rate. 

In July, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that created the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, which will oversee the new Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton. 

Click here to see New Jersey’s complete report from the March of Dimes.