Highlighting Disparities in Maternal Health
Published on April 1, 2025
Submitted by: Sa’uda Abdullahi (Epi) & Kaniz Fatema (CBH)
Women through history have been shown to be resilient, powerful leaders, productive caretakers, and great multitaskers (balancing societal standards of family management while also making large systemic changes). They’ve worked to build communities and make large advancements in areas of research and science and continue to do so. This list is only a small piece of the many reasons we should always work to celebrate women!
Despite the many advancements that women have helped to develop, there are still great maternal health disparities shown in research. This is shown in many ways, including:
- Racial/Ethnic disparities
- Lower SES faces more maternal morbidity and mortality compared to their counterparts
Why does addressing this crisis matter?
In simple words, addressing these public health issues saves lives:
The maternal mortality rate compared to other high-income nations is alarmingly high in the United States. Additionally, within the USA, maternal mortality for Black mothers is extremely high compared to other racial/ethnic groups. This should be greatly and carefully addressed in maternal health initiatives.
Addressing this saves the lives of both women and children, both long-term and short-term.
- Short-term: It creates healthier births, prevents pregnancy complications for child and mom, and works to improve mental health during and after pregnancy.
- Long-term: It builds healthier communities. Improving maternal mental health positively impacts parenting styles and the cognitive and functional development of their child(ren) and could prevent multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Actions To Take as Students:
- Engage in learning about the full experiences of maternal health, not limited to the prenatal period, but also the delivery and postpartum experience.
- Additionally, learn about ways that this can both impact and be impacted by policy, community, and other public health focuses.
- Understand that mobilizing family, community, organizations, and other social supports in the care and intervention for maternal health disparities is powerful.
Takeaway Message:
- Always consider the diverse experiences of mothers and how maternal health impacts everyone’s health.
- Learn what resources/interventions are out there for mothers.
- Continue to educate yourself and remain informed of the different impacts there are on women in the maternal child health space.
Resources to further explore:
- CDC Adverse Childhood Experiences
- WHO Maternal Mortality Overview
- Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison
- CDC Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy
- Relationship between social support and mental health during pregnancy
- Relationship between social support and mental health after pregnancy
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