Study: Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality May Be Higher Than Previously Thought
Study: Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality May Be Higher Than Previously Thought
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported on a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health indicating that racial disparities in maternal mortality may be higher than previously thought. In the study, data from 2016 and 2017 death certificates were reexamined. Researchers calculated the maternal death rate among non-Hispanic black women to be 3.5 times higher than compared to non-Hispanic white women. Previous analyses concluded the death rate among black women to be 2.5 times higher than that of non-Hispanic white women.
As with previous studies, the NIH study found preeclampsia to be a leading cause of death, as well as postpartum hemorrhaging. The NIH study notes that blood pressure disorders were leading causes of death among Black women, resulting in mortality rates that were 5 times higher than white women, and hemorrhaging and embolisms caused a 2-3 times-higher death rate in black women vs. white women.
“These sobering findings highlight the urgent need to address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal deaths,” said National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D. This is particularly essential since the causes of so many maternal deaths are preventable.
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