Achieving Maternal Health Equity

Katelyn Shahbazian - Analyst, Modelo Health; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

American maternal health is in a crisis.

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate out of any developed country in the world, despite having some of the highest spending in healthcare1. Even worse, the chances of dying while pregnant or within 1 year of giving birth is 2.5 times higher for Black women than for White women. While the US is exceeding expectations in other areas of health care, why is care for mothers falling behind? Why are there such high disparities between different groups?

Introducing: the social determinants of health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are fundamental to all our health outcomes, and maternal health is no exception. SDoH are all the external factors that affect our wellbeing: transportation, income, education, food and water, violence, racism, and more. These are estimated to account for 60% of our health2.

While doctors can’t necessarily change SDOH, they can address some of their effects in clinical settings. Stay tuned for our next article, where we will talk about how Modelo Health is innovating to address SDOH for maternal health!

1. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20210729.265068/
2. https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/understanding-the-social-determinants-of-health/#ixzz78xAjinrp

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