For over 100 years, doctors have known that not all babies are born at the same time. Some come earlier than expected, and this happens more often in some races than others. A recent study shared on March 1, 2024, in a health journal called Frontiers in Public Health, tells us that this problem is still happening today in the United States.
The study shows that black women who are not Hispanic are more likely to have their babies early compared to white women who are not Hispanic. This isn’t just because of where they live or how much money they make. Scientists think it might be because of many reasons, including family health history, changes in genes over time, and even tiny organisms that live in our bodies.
People have been trying to help babies be born at the right time, but this study says we need to do more. It’s important to figure out exactly why these differences happen so we can find better ways to help all moms have their babies when it’s safest.
The study is like a wake-up call. It tells health groups to look closely at how they help moms and babies and make sure they’re also working to fix these big differences in early births among different races.
See “Health disparities in preterm births” by Judy Brown et al. on the Frontiers journal website (December 14, 2023)
