Babies born to mothers from rural Alaska areas are more likely to be preterm, study finds

Mothers in Alaska’s northern and western regions are more likely than other Alaska mothers to give birth to preterm and underweight babies, and their travel from rural Alaska to get care in bigger communities is a factor that contributes to those outcomes, a new study has found.

The study, by researchers at the University of Alaska Anchorage, analyzes the more than 218,000 childbirths recorded in the state from 2000 to 2020. It revealed striking…