Racial and socioeconomic inequalities in US have a “devastating effect” on preterm infant mortality, finds study

Socioeconomic inequalities are having increasing effects on preterm birth and mortality rates in the United States, researchers have warned.1

The team from University College London examined the inequalities faced by mothers in the US and how these had changed in the 25 years from 1995 to 2020 by analysing information from infants’ birth certificates, including the race of the mother, her smoking status, educational attainment, antenatal care, and insurance status.

They found that, although preterm infants born in 2020 were overall less likely to die than those born in 1995, stark differences remained between those …