VIDEO: Black mothers at greater risk for pregnancy-related complications

Data show that Black mothers are significantly more likely than white mothers to experience pregnancy-related complications and mortality.

In 2018, the rate of preterm birth was about 50% higher among Black women compared with white women in the United States, according to Wanda D. Barfield, MD, MPH, rear admiral, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and director of the division of reproductive health at the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In addition, Barfield said that Black women were more than three times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related complication, “and the risk increases with age.”

In this video, Barfield further discusses reproductive disparities in the United States and how physicians can improve health outcomes by addressing implicit bias and structural racism. She also discusses CDC’s new “Hear Her” campaign, which aims to fill gaps in maternal care.

“As health professionals, we really have to acknowledge that racism exists everywhere and take a conscious and intentional action to make sure that we’re working against it,” she told Healio Primary Care. “We need to understand and go back to really fundamental skills in our profession such as listening, compassion and empathy so that we can really build the relationships that we have with our families that we serve.”

References:

• Barfield WD. Reproductive Disparities. Presented at: NMA Annual Convention; July 31 to Aug. 4, 2020 (virtual meeting).
• CDC. Hear Her: CDC Campaign Highlights Warning Signs of Pregnancy-Related Deaths. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0810-warning-signs-pregnancy-deaths.html. Accessed Aug. 19, 2020.