Maternal Mortality in the United States, 1935-2007: Substantial Racial/Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Geographic Disparities Persist

摘要

In this brief report, we analyze long-term trends in maternal mortality according to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position (family poverty level), and state and region of residence by using both historical and the latest national vital statistics data. As shown below, despite the massive drop in maternal mortality over the long term, substantial racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities remain, with many of the sociodemographic groups currently far from achieving the national goal for the year 2010.