Racial disparities in reproductive health outcomes

Racial and ethnic disparities exist in many areas of health care, but the magnitudes of these disparities vary and are not fully understood. In women's health care, disparities in reproductive health outcomes are quite common. In this article, a review was performed to assess the magnitude and reasons for some of the most common disparate reproductive health outcomes, such as infant and maternal mortality, unintended pregnancies, and preventive care. Papers were retrieved by systematically searching OVID-MEDLINE (1966-2002) electronic databases and hand-searching relevant reference lists and bibliographies. Those findings are reviewed here, and some interventions to move toward a reduction of these disparities are suggested. Our review, which contained mostly data on black-white differences, suggest that large disparities continue to exist in many reproductive health outcomes and that collaborative efforts at multiple levels in the community and health care system are needed if we are to effectively close the gaps.