Addressing Inequities in Cardiovascular Disease and Maternal Health in Black Women

Black women in the United States bear a disproportionate burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes (eg, preterm birth, small for gestational age birth, stillbirth) and are 3× more likely to die from pregnancy complications than other groups. Accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancy complications are a marker of future health risk, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), which develops earlier and at higher rates among Black women in the United States. CVD is the leading cause of death among women and accounts for over 30% of pregnancy-related deaths. Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, it is necessary to ask: what underlying factors contribute to these inequities and how do we address them? An emerging body of work is investigating the social, institutional, and structural factors that contribute to inequities in perinatal and maternal health. This issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes includes 2 articles, Boakye et al and Bond et al, which highlight critical issues surrounding Black maternal health in the United States.