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Indicator Gauge Icon Legend

Legend Colors

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change  from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

More information about the gauges and icons

Preterm Births

Measurement Period: 2022
This indicator shows the percentage of births with less than 37 weeks of completed gestation. Gestational age of a newborn is measured using the obstetric estimate of gestation at delivery (OE).

Why is this important?

Infants born before 37 weeks may be born with serious health problems and have higher risk of infections, developmental problems, breathing problems, and death (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Strategies to reduce preterm births include promoting adequate birth spacing, helping pregnant people quit smoking, and providing high-quality medical care for pregnant patients (Healthy People 2030).  

Considerations for Equitable Approaches: Nationally, there are racial and ethnic differences in preterm birth rates, with higher rates among non-Hispanic Black births. In addition to medical conditions and behavioral factors (e.g., tobacco use, substance use, stress), known factors that may increase the likelihood of early delivery include social, personal, and economic characteristics such as race and income. Exploring broader social policies to improve the health of pregnant people, particularly in African American and other communities at high risk, could reduce preterm birth and associated disparities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).    

Inclusive Language Recommendations: As not all people who are pregnant identify as women, recommendations for more gender-inclusive language include using "pregnant people" and "pregnant patients" or other wording as applicable when referring to general recommendations for pregnancy (National Institutes of Health).  
The Healthy People 2030 national health target is to reduce preterm births to 9.4 percent.
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12.6%
Source: Indiana State Department of Health
Measurement period: 2022
Maintained by: Conduent Healthy Communities Institute
Last update: July 2024
Filter(s) for this location: State: Indiana
Compared to See the Legend
Technical note: Rates may be unavailable for certain periods and geographies due to unstable or suppressed values as determined by the Indiana State Department of Health (i.e., values are unstable if counts are <20, values are suppressed if counts are <5).

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Indicator Values
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Change in methodology for 2009:
Due to a change in methodology with the transition to using the obstetric estimate of gestation at delivery (OE) measure, the 2014 data should be considered a baseline year for data analysis and is not directly comparable to previous years.

Data Source

Filed under: Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Health Outcomes, Infants