Thousands of babies in England are being born prematurely, smaller than expected or stillborn because of “alarming” and “devastating” socioeconomic and racial inequalities across the country.
Research involving more than 1m births suggests socioeconomic inequalities account for a quarter of all stillbirths, a fifth of preterm births, and a third of cases of foetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition in which babies are smaller than expected for their gestational age.
One in 10 stillbirths and almost one in five FGR cases are due to racial inequalities.
The largest increases in excess risk of complications were among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged Black and south Asian and women.
Jennifer Jardine of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists (RCOG), one of the study’s co-lead authors, said: “The stark reality is that across England, women’s socioeconomic and ethnic background are still strongly related to their likelihood of experiencing serious adverse outcomes for their baby.”
The findings suggest that current national programmes to make pregnancy safer, which focus on an individual woman’s risk and behaviour and their antenatal care, will not be enough to improve outcomes for babies born in England.
Prof Jan van der Meulen of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, another co-lead author, explained, there were no quick fixes that could immediately solve the problem. To reduce disparities in birth outcomes at a national level, Van der Meulen said, politicians, public health professionals and healthcare providers must work together to tackle racism and discrimination and improve women’s social circumstances, social support and health throughout their lives.
Dr Edward Morris, the president of the RCOG, said the findings of the study were alarming, adding: “They provide more evidence that poverty, racism and discrimination can affect women throughout their lives and ultimately lead to devastating incidences of pregnancy complications and baby loss.”
Dr Christine Ekechi, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and co-chair of RCOG’s race equality taskforce, said the disparities were heartbreaking.
“These women are being let down by a healthcare system that is supposed to protect them. Reducing the occurrence of potentially avoidable adverse pregnancy outcomes needs to be a national priority.”
No comments:
Post a Comment