Premature birth is a birth that occurs before 37 weeks gestation in pregnancy or more than three weeks before the baby is due.
Prematurity is a major cause of infant illness and death.
Premature babies are more likely to have respiratory and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as other health problems. In 1997, the low birth weight rate in Colorado was 8.9 percent as compared to the U.S. average of 7.4 percent and the Healthy People 2000 objective of 5 percent.