Race, ethnicity, and nativity differences in pregnancy and birth outcomes among Medicaid-enrolled women with disabilities.
Alka Dev, Willi Horner-Johnson, Andrew Schaefer and 3 others
PMID 41714270WHAT IT FOUND
Among Medicaid-enrolled women with disabilities, Black mothers faced higher risks of preterm birth and low birthweight than White mothers.
Foreign-born Hispanic mothers had lower risks of these adverse outcomes than U.S.-born Hispanic mothers, despite having less education and shorter Medicaid enrollment.
Key findings
01Compared to White mothers with disabilities, Black mothers had a higher risk of preterm birth, low birthweight, and small for gestational age infants.
02Foreign-born Hispanic mothers with disabilities had a lower risk of cesarean delivery, preterm birth, low birthweight, and small for gestational age infants compared to U.S.-born Hispanic mothers.
03There were no significant differences in severe maternal morbidity between foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanic mothers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study only included livebirths, so it could not assess outcomes like stillbirth. Disability status was identified via claims data, which may have missed women whose disabilities were not coded or were less visible. The data is from 2010-2014, which may not reflect current immigration policies or healthcare contexts. The study was limited to Texas Medicaid, so findings may not generalize to states that expanded Medicaid. Sample sizes were too small to analyze outcomes by specific country of origin for Hispanic women.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower risks among foreign-born Hispanic women as evidence that their disabilities are less severe or that they have better access to care. The study notes these women had lower educational attainment and shorter Medicaid enrollment periods, suggesting the protective effect is likely driven by sociocultural factors rather than healthcare access.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →