Prematurity awareness conference a success

One in 10 births in Virginia occurs before the fetus has reached full term, and the impact that premature birth has on infants and their families was the topic of discussion at a conference sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Family Support and Research Center, the VCU School of Nursing and the March of Dimes Virginia chapter.

The 2006 Prematurity Initiative Conference, held Nov. 10 as part of Prematurity Awareness month, was designed for health care professionals, researchers, graduate and medical students and families focusing on issues related to premature birth.

Gov. Timothy Kaine attended the conference, during which experts from the fields of nursing, psychology, pediatrics, genetics, psychiatry and biomedical ethics offered presentations on topics such as prematurity prevention; the neonatal intensive care unit experience; genetics and prematurity; maternal expectations and perceptions; health disparities and premature birth; and a premature infant’s first year of life.

Statistics highlighting the increasing rate of premature births have raised concerns among health care providers.  In Virginia, 12.1 percent of all live births are premature.

The conference raised awareness of the impact premature birth has on infants and their families, promoted communication among professionals and aided in the dissemination of information regarding efforts to identify and reduce risk factors of premature birth and its impact on infants and their families. 

Marilyn Stern, Ph.D., VCU professor in psychology with a joint appointment in pediatrics, contributed to this report.