The Premature Birth Problem

Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention, a report released Thursday by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, shows that 12.5 percent of births in the United States in 2004 were preterm, a 30 percent increase over the 1981 rate. The increasing prevalence of premature births constitutes a public health concern that costs society at least $26 billion annually. Newsweek features a web-exclusive interview with Richard E. Behrman, chair of the Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes that produced the report. Behrman is a clinical professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. Links: Newsweek Interview with Dr. Behrman Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention