News Release - Health
New report points way to reduce preterm births and stillbirths
February 23, 2010
More research and attention are urgently needed to understand and reduce the incidence of preterm births and stillbirths worldwide, according to experts from the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS). Writing in the open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, the authors call for greater improvements to research and the development of interventions to reduce tragic pregnancy outcomes.
Preterm births and stillbirths continue to have a global impact, even in high-income countries. Globally, 13 million babies are born preterm and 3.2 million are stillborn each year. Neonatal deaths now account for more than 42 percent of mortality in children under the age of five - a rise from 37 percent in the year 2000. Preterm birth is the biggest cause of child mortality and those who survive can experience serious short- and long-term health problems. In addition, one million stillbirths occur each year during childbirth that could be prevented with existing interventions.
The ‘Global Report on Preterm and Stillbirth’ identifies known causes leading to preterm and stillbirth and recommends the widespread use of recognized, cost-effective interventions to improve these extremely distressing yet under-addressed pregnancy outcomes. The report outlines the urgent need for increased focus and research to further investigate the magnitude, causes and consequences of preterm birth and stillbirth. Additionally it makes recommendations to speed up the development of diagnostics, treatment and prevention strategies with careful attention to ethical considerations. The report, led by GAPPS, an initiative of Seattle Children’s and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a collaborative effort undertaken by maternal, newborn and child health experts from around the globe.
“We can save more lives, but we urgently need more attention and resources to better understand the causes of prematurity and stillbirth and to guide the development of the most effective interventions,” said Dr. Craig E. Rubens, executive director of GAPPS. “For the first time ever, experts from around the world have agreed to a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to solving this global tragedy.”
“BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is pleased to present this important report," said Melissa Norton, Editorial Director (Medicine) at BioMed Central. "To date there has not been enough attention given to preterm births and stillbirth, and this report will contribute considerably in reducing the 13 million preterm births and 3.2 million stillbirths worldwide.”
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Notes to Editor
After the embargo, published articles available at the journal website.
Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central’s open access policy.
To speak to the authors, please contact Mala Persaud, GMMB on 202.338.8700 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
1. In the United States, great disparities exist between racial and ethnic groups where the preterm birth rates in 2005 vary from 18.4% among African American to 11.7% among non-Hispanic white women and 10% among Asian and Pacific Islander women. An even larger disparity exists between costs and research. In the United States, for example, preterm birth is the 7th leading U.S. health care expenditure ($26B), yet perinatal health research ranks 63rd in NIH funding.
2. GAPPS is launching the GAPPS Repository, a large collection of prospective data and specimens from diverse populations of pregnant women and their newborns globally. GAPPS is partnering closely with hospitals, universities and research institutes in the United States and internationally to establish the repository.
Although collections of prenatal samples exist, they are typically created to address a specific research issue. To date, no repository of data and specimens has ever been established specifically for prematurity and stillbirth research.
3. A Global Action Agenda
This report outlines the first-ever comprehensive review on preterm births and stillbirths. It also includes a Global Action Agenda that was developed by more than 200 stakeholders at the 2009 International Conference on Prematurity and Stillbirth. Global leaders outlined collaborative strategies to achieve four key goals:
- Increase awareness and understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Global health leaders typically are unaware of the magnitude of the health problems caused by preterm birth and stillbirth, and their relationships to maternal, child and adult health. Other global health leaders have been aware of the problem, but have not known what to do.
- Close the research gaps. The biology of pregnancy and childbirth is poorly understood, as are the causes of preterm birth and stillbirth. As well, it is currently hard to calculate the magnitude of the problem as there are no global standards for data collection.
- Support the discovery, development and delivery of interventions. More research is needed to determine which interventions are most effective and then these interventions must be promoted and adapted. Effective interventions that are now only available in high-income countries must be adapted for use in low- and middle- income countries.
- Increase resources for research and implementation. Significant funding, commitment and a coordinated effort are needed to reduce preterm births and stillbirth.
4. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/) is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (ISSN 1471-2393) is indexed/tracked/covered by PubMed, MEDLINE, CAS, EMBASE, Scopus, Cinahl and Google Scholar.
5. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.
6. GAPPS (http://www.gapps.org), an initiative of Seattle Children’s, works to eliminate prematurity and stillbirths globally. The one million annual deaths from prematurity contribute to more under-five deaths than AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis. In addition, a staggering three million stillbirths occur each year, yet this often-taboo topic is rarely addressed. In collaboration with diverse global partners in science, public health and policy, GAPPS is advancing research to understand causes; accelerating delivery of low-cost, effective interventions; and raising awareness about these neglected issues. GAPPS is also building a repository of data and specimens from pregnant women, such as blood and tissues, which will serve as a significant global resource in advancing medical and public health research.
