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The US still has a long way to go in decreasing the number of preterm births, a very important aspect that will dictate the health and overall future of infants in the later stages of their lives.

In this year's report of March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization, the United States has been given a grade of 'C' or an overall national preterm birth rate was 9.6 percent in 2014, Newsweek reported.

The figures is said to be an improvement from the US's grade 'D' which is equivalent to a preterm birth rate of 12.3 percent in a 2010 study by the same organization.

The organization, however, cannot guarantee that the figures showed a positive change in the number of preterm births as the organization used a different method in measuring gestational age.

This year, the breadth of the survey has been widened in a state and country level with its Shreveport, Louisiana with the highest rate of preterm births and Portland, Oregon with the lowest rate.

The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, meanwhile, ranked Tennessee in the 44^th place among 50 states with its grade D and a 10.8 percent preterm birthrate. This is a slight decrease from its 12.5 percent rate in the organization's 2013 survey, WBIR said.

With respect to racial disparities, most babies in Ohio facing preterm births are mostly Black babies, The Columbus Dispatch said.

in the organization's 2014 survey, Ohio received a grade C score card with its 10.3 percent rate that lead the state to land on the 48^th place.

Meanwhile, Native Americans has 14 percent of premature births, Hispanics with 10 percent and 8.4 percent for Asians.