World Prematurity Day 2022: Causes, Action & Resources
November 17th is World Prematurity Day, a time dedicated to raising awareness of premature birth and the devastating impact it can have on parents and families.
Every year, 15 million babies are born premature, which is more than 1 in every 10 births. Some estimates suggest that this number is only rising. Preterm birth complications are one of the leading causes of under-5 mortality, accounting for nearly 1 million precious lives annually.
When we break this down further, there are 3 categories based on gestational age that the World Health Organization uses to define pre-term births.
“Extremely preterm” (less than 28 weeks): 84% of preterm births
“Very preterm” (28 to 32 weeks): 10% of preterm births
“Moderate to late preterm” (32 to 37 weeks): 5% of preterm births
When a baby comes early or has to spend an extended amount of time in the hospital, it can be a difficult, emotional, and potentially isolating time for parents. That’s why we’ve teamed up with the Leo & Mia Foundation to raise awareness of premature births & share vital information with women in our communities.
Why we should be talking about premature births and raising awareness
Despite its magnitude and urgency, premature birth remains one of the most underserved humane causes globally. It accounts for approximately 16% of all deaths, and 35% of deaths among newborns yet preterm birth still lacks attention from the global conversation.
More than 90% of extremely preterm babies born in low-income countries are eight times less likely to survive than those born in high-income countries and those who survive are at greater risk of a range of short-term and long-term health issues and developmental disabilities such as increasing the risk of adult-onset chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. Preterm births also lead to a financial burden for health systems and families, which sadly often leads to psychological and financial hardship.
Causes of preterm birth
Unfortunately, the causes of preterm births are not fully understood. Whilst more research is needed to understand the causes of preterm births, it’s thought that certain demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors such as smoking, multiple pregnancies, infections, hypertension, diabetes, and high blood pressure may increase the chances of having a preterm birth. Some evidence also indicates a genetic predisposition to preterm birth and the existence of gene-environmental interactions. Research into the causes of preterm births also looks into the role of psychosocial factors such as lack of support, chronic and catastrophic stress, maternal anxiety, personal racism, and major life events, but again, more research is needed to conclusively support these findings.
Most preterm births are spontaneous and often professionals are also unable to explain the reasons. What we do know: a healthy lifestyle and pregnancy with proper nutrition, physical activity, no addictions, and regular antenatal care are associated with favorable pregnancy outcomes.
Long-term effects of preterm birth
Not only does a premature birth have an immediate impact on the mother, baby, and family when it comes to physical and emotional health, but preterm babies are at risk of developing long-term impairments affecting their physical and mental development. The extent of these effects on their life and development strongly depends on how early baby was born, the care they received during and around birth, and the days and weeks that follow.
Preterm babies have immature organ systems (including brains, lungs, gastrointestinal system, kidneys, and immune system) which may not adapt to the outside world without support — meaning more premature babies can also require more life support.
As well as impacting baby’s own development, preterm births can have a long-term impact on families and health systems. The psychological, social, and financial implications on parents and families can pose significant economic costs in terms of healthcare, education, and social benefits to society at large.
What we can do to raise awareness and improve premature birth outcomes
About a third of deaths due to complications of prematurity could be prevented with early management and simple, affordable interventions.
Over the last decade, efforts have been made across the globe to reduce preterm birth rates and related neonatal mortality, however, coordinated movement is required for greater collaboration, action, and knowledge sharing among national and international stakeholders to achieve this ambitious goal. In 2015, WHO recommended several interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes. These recommendations included maternal interventions, and treatments for preterm babies, and the full set of recommendations is available on the WHO Website.
Some work has also been done to assess salivary progesterone as a test for preterm birth in pregnant women. Cervical length measurement and cervicovaginal fluid fetal fibronectin are being routinely used in high-resource settings to identify and risk spontaneous preterm births in high-resource setting but it is only sometimes feasible to conduct these tests in low-resource settings. Excitingly, certain studies conducted in India, Egypt, and the UK have shown promising early results for using the salivary progesterone test as a screening tool for spontaneous preterm birth.
About World Prematurity Day 2022
World Prematurity Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the global burden and challenges related to preterm births. Individuals and organizations from more than 100 countries celebrate this day by organizing special events and making commitments to help address preterm birth and improve the status of preterm babies and their families, specifically their mothers.
This year’s theme for World Prematurity is: “A parent's embrace: a powerful therapy”, promoting skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth. Skin-to-skin contact after birth is an evidence-based form of care recommended by WHO and when provided in a timely manner, skin-to-skin contact can save lives and improve health outcomes among preterm babies. Research has found that skin-to-skin contact between babies and their mothers stimulates a specific part of the newborn's brain, bringing scores of benefits for babies and their mothers alike.
More about the Leo & Mia Foundation
Leo & Mia Foundation is devoted to the cause of preterm babies and their mothers. Our goal is to develop an ecosystem that enables women and parents to pursue their roles as caregivers. We also aim to educate communities to develop a better understanding of preterm birth, and support mothers, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to provide necessary care to infants. Realizing the intensity of the issues related to preterm birth and lack of awareness we made it our mission to become a change maker for mothers, preterm babies, and their families to provide them access to care, support, and the education they need to live a joy-filled life. With a focus on early interventions, the foundation develops a continuum of care for preterm babies and their mothers.
Over the years, we have been engaging with parents in India, Indonesia, and the UAE to ensure proper Essential Newborn Care, empowering parents with tools, education, and awareness on family-centred care for preterm newborns. The training and supportive supervision that Leo & Mia Foundation provides aim to advance the skills and competencies of frontline healthcare workers, facilitating cost-effective care for preterm babies. We offer technical support and demonstration through field projects which are focusing on strengthening healthcare systems and mobilizing communities.
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