How Neglecting Minorities in Medical Research Has Led to Deadly Outcomes
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.propublica.org&#x2F;article&#x2F;nothing-protects-black-women-from-dying-in-pregnancy-and-childbirth" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.propublica.org&#x2F;article&#x2F;nothing-protects-black-wo...</a><p>This is a longer article on the subject of poorer health outcomes for minorities, covering the situation for black women and one family&#x27;s experience, which is very much worth reading, but here are the key points:<p>Statistics:<p>* A black woman is 22% more likely to die from heart disease than a white woman<p>* ...71 percent more likely to perish from cervical cancer<p>* ...243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes<p>Reasons:<p>* Black women are more likely to be uninsured outside of pregnancy, when Medicaid kicks in, and thus more likely to start prenatal care later and to lose coverage in the postpartum period.<p>* The hospitals where they give birth are often the products of historical segregation, lower in quality than those where white mothers deliver, with significantly higher rates of life-threatening complications.<p>* [Black women] are more likely to have chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension that make having a baby more dangerous.<p>* Black expectant and new mothers frequently told us that doctors and nurses didn’t take their pain seriously [...] numerous studies that show pain is often undertreated in black patients for conditions from appendicitis to cancer.<p>* An expanding field of research shows that the stress of being a black woman in American society can take a significant physical toll during pregnancy and childbirth.<p>* Black women are 49 percent more likely than whites to deliver prematurely (and, closely related, black infants are twice as likely as white babies to die before their first birthday).