Rates of preterm birth in Australia are rising as global rates fall

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-06-01 01:00

Australia; International

Globally, the incidence of preterm birth has decreased over the last 30 years, but in Australia rates have risen, echoing a trend seen in several high-income countries, according to international research. The data show that between 1990 and 2019 the incidence of preterm birth in Australasia increased by 25%, although the good news is that the preterm death rate declined by 61% during the same period. The authors say the increase in preterm births could be due to a range of factors including increasing rates of multiple births, IVF, and more older mothers having babies. They say preterm birth remains a crucial issue in children, both in high- and low-resource countries, and efforts to reduce both the incidence and mortality of preterm births are essential worldwide.

Media release

From: JAMA

Global, Regional, and National Incidence and Mortality of Neonatal Preterm Birth, 1990-2019

About The Study: Data from the Global Burden of Disease study were used to determine changes in the incidence and mortality of neonatal preterm birth at the global, regional and national levels from 1990 to 2019.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Peking University, China

Funder: This work was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (grant 2021ZD0114104).

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