March for Moms reacts to new manuscript suggesting CDC surveillance systems may have overestimated U.S. maternal mortality rate

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, March 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Following the recent release of a new manuscript published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology regarding U.S. maternal mortality rates and surveillance, which suggests that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) surveillance systems may have overestimated the recent U.S. maternal mortality rate, March for Moms is reiterating the need for urgency when it comes to preventing maternal deaths in the U.S.

The technical issue pointed out by the authors is the introduction of a check box on death certificates that is meant to record whether a person of reproductive age who died was actually pregnant. In a number of cases, the box appears to have been checked in error.

In response to the publication, March for Moms released the following statement:

“We cannot dial down our sense of urgency on maternal mortality, because describing the U.S. maternal mortality crisis as a measurement problem will only perpetuate the crisis. The refined maternal mortality measurement in this manuscript also reaffirms the significant, existing racial health disparities in U.S. maternal mortality. Framing the maternal mortality rate as merely a measurement problem minimizes the lived experience of families who have lost loved ones to preventable, pregnancy-related deaths.

“As a country, we need to continue our advocacy for mothers and families and re-center our focus on how to prevent these tragedies from happening. We’ve always known that determining that a death during or within a year of a pregnancy was caused by that pregnancy is hard to estimate from death records. This research reaffirms the importance of efforts to support state maternal mortality review committees that conduct in-depth analyses to identify the causes of maternal deaths and make recommendations on how to avoid them in the future. We have to improve our data systems while continuing on the path of addressing the maternal health crisis and the racial health disparities that exist.

“Every preventable death is an unacceptable tragedy, and Black women in our country continue to bear a disproportionate burden of poor maternity care. Investments in solutions remain as critical as ever.”

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About March for Moms: March for Moms is non-partisan, 501 (c)(3) non-profit that aligns the diverse voices of families, health care providers, policymakers, and partners to advocate for mothers and families’ health, well-being and equal access to care. For more information, visit https://marchformoms.org/.

Helen M Callahan
Frontwood Strategies
email us here

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