Structural Racism, Mass Incarceration, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Racial and ethnic inequities in the criminal-legal system are an important manifestation of structural racism. However, how these inequities may influence the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and its persistent racial and ethnic disparities remains underinvestigated.

Objective

To examine the association between county-level inequity in jail incarceration rates comparing Black and White individuals and SMM risk in California.

Design, setting, and participants

This population-based cross-sectional study used state-wide data from California on all live hospital births at 20 weeks of gestation or later from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2018. Data were obtained from hospital discharge and vital statistics records, which were linked with publicly avail

SUBMITTER: Hailu EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10818215 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature