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Prematurity Awareness Day is Nov. 18
According to information from the March of Dimes, prematurity is on the increase, rising by more than 27 percent nationwide over the past two decades. In Washington state, 10% of all live births during 2001 were premature, the leading cause of death in the first month of life. In addition to mortality, prematurity is linked to developmental delays, chronic respiratory problems, and vision and hearing impairment.

JoAnne Solchany, Ph.D., core faculty in the Center in Infant Mental Health & Development, will assist the March of Dimes in raising awareness about prematurity as part of their Prematurity Task Force for Washington state aimed at educating individuals and health care providers about the causes and effects of prematurity, and promoting more research on these subjects.

According to Solchany, an award-winning nurse researcher on pregnancy and maternal mental health, preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman. "Despite intense focus on decreasing prematurity rates, the problem is not only continuing, but on the increase . In many cases, we are unable to find a direct cause. Current research points in the direction of the impact of stress and anxiety on the pregnant woman and her unborn child," Solchany notes.

Solchany is assisting the March of Dimes with planning a Prematurity Symposium Conference at the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 18. This one-day event, coinciding with Prematurity Awareness Day, is designed to inform local healthcare professionals about the latest research findings on clinical strategies, racial/ethnic disparities, and the impact of stress on birth outcomes, among other topics. Speaking at the Prematurity Symposium will be London psychobiologist Vivette Glover, an expert on the effects of anxiety during the perinatal period, who is visiting Seattle as a guest of the Center on Infant Mental Health and will also be meeting with Center faculty.

Contact: Kathleen Dannenhold, kathyd@u.washington.edu

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