Why is the rate of premature births so high in this community?

About 1 in 4 babies in the Pakistani fishing settlement of Rehri Goth are born prematurely. Researchers are trying to figure out how to bring the numbers down.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4992x3744+312+0/resize/4992x3744!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F91%2F4b%2F1e6930ef4e8e8f23a6014a4c0f55%2Fpremature-baby-3020.jpg' alt='Baby Ladoo's grandmother, Hanifa, rocks the hammock where the 5-month-old stirs. His mother Mariam, 17, says her son was born prematurely at around seven months gestation. She couldn't afford follow-up care, so she bought him home and is hoping for the best. About 1 in 4 babies in this fishing settlement of Rehri Goth are born prematurely, nearly double the national rate of 14% — and that's one of the world's highest. Scientists in a nearby university say they may have uncovered a bacteria that acts as an indicator of whether a women is likely to birth full term or pre-term.'/><p>About 1 in 4 babies in the Pakistani fishing settlement of Rehri Goth are born prematurely. Researchers are trying to figure out how to bring the numbers down.</p><p>(Image credit: Diaa Hadid/NPR)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-135946' />