Addressing Maternal Mortality: A Comprehensive Approach

December 3, 2025

Addressing Maternal Mortality: A Comprehensive Approach

Esther Dubique | 2023

Abstract

Maternal health outcomes in the United States are alarming, especially for Black women who face higher risks of death and complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Several national initiatives have recognized this urgent problem and called for action to address it, such as the recent statement by the U.S. Vice President (U.S. White House Briefing Room, 2021). However, the U.S. has not followed the global trend of reducing maternal mortality, which has declined by 45% in the last 25 years. Instead, the U.S. has seen a 58% increase in maternal deaths during the same period (Douthard et al., 2021). Moreover, this increase is not evenly distributed: Black women are 3 to 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and more than twice as likely to suffer life-threatening events than White women (Creanga et al., 2017; MacDorman et al., 2021). The gap has persisted and even widened over the past century (Howell, 2018). Similarly, Black women experience twice the rate of severe maternal morbidity than White women (Leonard et al., 2019). The purpose of this project is to investigate the causes of maternal mortality and to identify interventions that can be implemented to reduce the number of maternal deaths. The research question is: What are the economic means to prevent maternal loss amongst African American and black families? This question explores the possible interventions that can reduce the disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity rates between African American and black women and other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The question is motivated by the evidence that African American and black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white, Hispanic, or Asian women, regardless of their income, education, or access to health care. The question also seeks to understand the underlying factors contributing to this gap, such as systemic racism, discrimination, stress, chronic conditions, and social determinants of health. The question is relevant for policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, and advocates interested in improving maternal health outcomes and achieving health equity for all women. The project will focus on the following objectives:

To review the literature on maternal mortality
To collect data on maternal mortality in the United States
To analyze the data to identify the most common causes of maternal death.
To develop and implement interventions to reduce maternal mortality.

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