Black and Latina Mothers’ induced labor rates rise due to systematic racism

Nicole Chavez, CNN

A new study found that Black and Latina mothers in the US may have been induced into labor based on the needs of White pregnant women.

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that Black and Latina mothers in the US may have been induced into labor based on the needs of White pregnant women and not their own.

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The study was based on a sample of 41.1 million single, first births across the country, including 26.4 million of White women, 6.2 million of Black women and 8.4 million Latinas. Data from births among White women was from all 50 states but data from Black and Latina women only included 43 and 47 states, respectively. All groups were represented in Washington, DC, the study says.

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When comparing the experiences of Black, Latina and White women in labor, researchers found all the three groups had similar increased rates of induced labor but said the decisions about the women’s care were likely only driven by how White pregnant women were treated.

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But there was not a strong link between an increased number of Black and Latina women being induced into labor and the presence of risk factors within their race or ethnic group, the study says.

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The study’s authors said their findings may be limited but are consistent with “an extensive literature documenting health care inequity” in the US. The study provides strong evidence that obstetric care “has not been centered on the needs of Black and Latina childbearing populations.”

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Learn more about the many inequities in healthcare for Black Americans here, here, and here or by putting “healthcare disparities” in the Search box.

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