For the third year in a row, high preterm birth rates earned the U.S. only a D+ in a March of Dimes report on the state of maternal and infant health. [Axios]

The big picture: Black, Latina, Native American and Pacific Islander women experience disproportionate rates of preterm births, infant mortality and maternal deaths.

• People in the South and Midwest experience the worst outcomes.

Context: March of Dimes says "an alarmingly high preterm birth rate" is one of the contributing factors "to maternal and infant mortality and morbidity."

By the numbers: The rate of preterm births, defined as those happening before week 37 of gestation, was 10.4% in the U.S. during 2023, according to the report.

• That means 1 in 10 babies born, or about 370,000 births, happened preterm.
• Although the national rate has been steady for the last three years, preterm birth rates increased in 24 states compared to 2022. They include Arkansas, Indiana and Iowa.
• The rate of preterm births for Hispanics was 10.1%. It was 12.4% for American Indian/Alaska Native and Pacific Islander people and 14.7% for Black people.

The infant mortality rate rose in 2022 for the first time in two decades, the report says, in line with other studies carried out after Roe v. Wade was struck down.

• March of Dimes says the national rate reached 5.6 deaths per 1,000 births nationally, with most cases in the South and Midwest.
• Rates were especially high in heavily Hispanic states like Arizona (6.2 per 1,000 births), Florida (6 per 1,000) and New Mexico (5.9 per 1,000).

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