Determining what matters: data resources for examining maternal health equity

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Maternal Health

Background:

• Maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM) rates in the U.S. are alarmingly high and rising.
• These rates disproportionately impact understudied, underrepresented, and underreported (U3) populations, including Black, Indigenous, and rural women.
• Current data limitations hinder a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of these disparities and regional variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address data limitations hindering the understanding of maternal health disparities.
• To advocate for the integration of diverse data sources for county-level investigations.
• To promote maternal health equity and improve health outcomes for U3 populations.

Main Methods:

• Proposes leveraging diverse, publicly available data sources.
• Includes deidentified health system utilization data.
• Incorporates geocoded hospital locations for maternal care services, social determinants, and demographic data.
• Suggests creating linked datasets for county-level analysis.

Main Results:

• Current data limitations impede a full understanding of MMM disparities.
• The proposed approach enables detailed, county-level investigations.
• Linking diverse datasets can illuminate regional nuances and contributing factors to disparities.

Conclusions:

• Integrating diverse data is crucial for understanding and addressing maternal health disparities.
• This approach can significantly improve maternal health equity for U3 populations.
• County-level investigations are essential for targeted interventions and policy development.