Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States
Black women in the United States (U.S.) disproportionately experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal mortality, compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. Historical legacies of institutionalized racism and bias in medicine compound this problem. The disproportionate impact...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/3/438 |
| _version_ | 1797624532694990848 |
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| author | Anuli Njoku Marian Evans Lillian Nimo-Sefah Jonell Bailey |
| author_facet | Anuli Njoku Marian Evans Lillian Nimo-Sefah Jonell Bailey |
| author_sort | Anuli Njoku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Black women in the United States (U.S.) disproportionately experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal mortality, compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. Historical legacies of institutionalized racism and bias in medicine compound this problem. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color may further worsen existing racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. This paper discusses structural and social determinants of racial disparities with a focus on the Black maternal mortality crisis in the United States. We explore how structural racism contributes to a greater risk of adverse obstetric outcomes among Black women in the U.S. We also propose public health, healthcare systems, and community-engaged approaches to decrease racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:43:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bbeecb77f5c4feebc04120b17b11664 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:43:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bbeecb77f5c4feebc04120b17b116642023-11-16T16:45:23ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322023-02-0111343810.3390/healthcare11030438Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United StatesAnuli Njoku0Marian Evans1Lillian Nimo-Sefah2Jonell Bailey3Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Southern Connecticut State University, 493 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515, USADepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Southern Connecticut State University, 493 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515, USADepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Southern Connecticut State University, 493 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515, USADepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Southern Connecticut State University, 493 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515, USABlack women in the United States (U.S.) disproportionately experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal mortality, compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. Historical legacies of institutionalized racism and bias in medicine compound this problem. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color may further worsen existing racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. This paper discusses structural and social determinants of racial disparities with a focus on the Black maternal mortality crisis in the United States. We explore how structural racism contributes to a greater risk of adverse obstetric outcomes among Black women in the U.S. We also propose public health, healthcare systems, and community-engaged approaches to decrease racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/3/438black maternal mortalitymorbiditysocial determinants of healthweathering frameworkhealth disparitiesrace/ethnicity |
| spellingShingle | Anuli Njoku Marian Evans Lillian Nimo-Sefah Jonell Bailey Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States Healthcare black maternal mortality morbidity social determinants of health weathering framework health disparities race/ethnicity |
| title | Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States |
| title_full | Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States |
| title_short | Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States |
| title_sort | listen to the whispers before they become screams addressing black maternal morbidity and mortality in the united states |
| topic | black maternal mortality morbidity social determinants of health weathering framework health disparities race/ethnicity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/3/438 |
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