Racial differences in maternal risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes: a population-based study exploring urban and rural geographies in the United States

ABSTRACT

This paper explores racial differences in maternal risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes across urban and rural geographies using 2019 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Bivariate chi-square tests and logistic regression were performed which showed statistically significant geographical differences among Non-Hispanic (NH) Black pregnant women across income levels (p = .016) and perceived health status (p = .003). Regression analyses indicated an increased racial gap between NH White pregnant women and other racial/ethnic groups. The findings support that there are statistically significant racial differences in maternal risk factors across urban and rural geographies for NH Black and Hispanic pregnant women.

KEYWORDS:

• Racial disparities
• pregnancy
• race and ethnicity
• socioeconomic status
• health behaviors
• geographical environments

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.