Recent reports from CNN and Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) underscore that infant mortality in St. Louis is driven by racial inequity. Yet many struggle to truly understand what racial inequity is and how it can create and perpetuate issues in our community.
MFH turned to regional experts in epidemiology, fetal and maternal health, Dr. Pam Xaverius and Dr. Deborah Kiel, in response to the growing need for data synthesized by race, by socioeconomic and behavioral factors, and by outcomes. Their analysis evaluated birth certificate data from 2010 through 2014 for St. Louis City and County in a variety of ways, including prenatal experience, geography and birth outcomes. Five major themes emerged from the data that require further attention:
- Maternal Health
- Infant Health
- Equity
- Place
- Access To and Quality of Data
Woven through all of these areas is the overarching theme that black babies and families are more likely to face pregnancy challenges, premature birth and infant death.
Overall, black babies are three times more likely to die during infancy than white babies. This is why our region needs to focus our efforts on achieving racial equity – a state where someone’s race no longer predicts their outcomes – where everyone is on an even playing field and race is not a factor. Unfortunately, St. Louis’ socio-economic factors, such as housing conditions, levels of education, job and marital status, social support and coverage of prenatal care, all further this racial divide.
“FLOURISH St. Louis has already adopted a racial equity lens to our work. Our action teams and grantees are identifying solutions that improve chances for black babies and families in St. Louis,” said Rose Anderson-Rice, who contributes to FLOURISH’s efforts and serves as chief program director at Generate Health. “We are pleased to see the conversation moving from addressing the symptoms of this crisis to getting to the core of what is really wrong in our region. MFH’s research will help us more directly and deliberately approach the root of the problem.”
Read more in the Infant Mortality in Greater St. Louis report, or download an infographic that summarizes the key points.
