Black women 8 times more likely to die during childbirth in New York City
According to a recent report published by New York Women’s Foundation, black women residing in New York City are 8 times more likely to die from childbirth than their white counterparts.
Black women face a maternal mortality rate of 79 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 10 per 100,000 live births for white women.
C. Nicole Mason, the executive director of the Center for Research and Policy in the Public Interest and author of the report, told us that the spike in the maternal mortality rate among African American women in poor communities is largely based on three factors: Poor prenatal and postpartum care, higher rates of c-sections and most significantly, other health factors, like obesity. In fact, Mason said, 40 percent of women who die from “maternal related complications” are overweight.
The report also found that Brooklyn has the highest rate of new HIV diagnosis among women (32%). Black women comprise 64.6 percent of new HIV diagnosis, followed by 27.8 percent for Latinos.
Overall, women of all races in the city are 30 percent more likely to die in childbirth than they were just 12 years ago. Click here for the full report.
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