Please read Dr. Reichman’s article in Social Science & Medicine titled, “Racialized police use of force and birth outcomes.“
Rates of low birth weight and preterm birth among infants born to Black women have been twice those of infants born to White women in the U.S. for decades. These large and persistent disparities in infant health have implications for disparities in cognitive development, educational achievement, earnings, and other long-term outcomes. Differences in maternal education, income, occupation, health insurance, and prenatal health behaviors explain little of the observed racial disparities in birth outcomes. Few studies have explored the roles of racism or discrimination—particularly institutional racism—in explaining the much poorer birth outcomes of Black women compared to White women, despite an increasing recognition that entrenched social disadvantages associated with racial minority status in the U.S. take a toll on health. To read the full article.
Racialized police use of force and birth outcomes. Chegwin V, Teitler J, Muchomba FM, Reichman NE. Soc Sci Med. 2023 Mar;321:115767. PMID: 36841221 PMCID: PMC10091227 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115767