The westernisation of Asian societies will see its pre-term birth rate boom, predicts an Australian researcher at the forefront of advising China about how to manage this trend. Linda Belardi reports.

Women living in Western Australia are almost three times more likely to give birth to preterm babies compared to women in China, according to a joint study by researchers in WA and China. The study, led by Winthrop Professor John Newnham, from the University of Western Australia, found that the rate of preterm birth increased as women moved to a more Western environment. Chinese women record one of the lowest rates of preterm birth in the world, significantly lower than women in Hong Kong or Western Australia. Newnham said the findings suggested that preterm birth rate is strongly linked to...