8.1.21
By Son of Inequity
Wisconsin Health News recently hosted an online forum on disparities in healthcare availability and quality faced by the minorities of that state. Below are some of the persistent inequities discussed during the July 13, 2021, forum:
The infant mortality for African American newborns is higher than the average in Wisconsin, a tragic reality that unfortunately reflects a national trend.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infant mortality is a far greater risk for African American babies than for newborns of every other ethnicity. According to the CDC, the infant mortality rates (per 1,000 live births) in the U.S. by race and ethnicity are as follows:
- Non-Hispanic black: 10.8
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 9.4
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 8.2
- Hispanic: 4.9
- Non-Hispanic white: 4.6
- Asian: 3.6
According to the March of Dimes, the infant mortality rates by race in Wisconsin (2016 to 2018) significantly exceeded the national averages, particularly for African and Native American residents of Wisconsin (per 1,000 live births):
- White: 5.0
- African American: 14.4
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 10.5
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 6.5
African American mothers in Wisconsin have an elevated risk of complications and death from childbirth. A 2020 CDC National Center for Health Statistics report on deaths from childbirth also reflect a dramatic racial disparity:
- The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. for 2018 was 17.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
- This rate is higher than the last time NCHS published a national rate (12.7 in 2007), but the increase in the maternal mortality rate largely reflects changes in the way the data was collected and reported.
- 658 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. using the 2018 coding method.
- Wide racial/ethnic gaps exist between non-Hispanic black (37.1 per 100,000 live births), non-Hispanic white (14.7), and Hispanic (11.8) women, which is consistent with earlier data.
- The maternal mortality rate for women aged 40 and over (81.9 per 100,000 live births) is nearly 8 times that for women under age 25 (10.6).
Life expectancy for Black women is declining faster compared to white women. The CDC, as well as numerous independent studies, have shown that the pandemic has driven down the average American life expectancy by more than 12 months. Advocates at the July 13 Wisconsin disparities symposium pointed out that this burden is disproportionately harming African Americans.
Life expectancy declined by 2.3 years for African American women and 3 years for African American men due to the pandemic, with declines of 1.5-2 years for White Americans.
Visit the Wisconsin Health News YouTube channel here to watch an archived version of the “Addressing Health Inequities Beyond COVID-19” event.