Race, ethnicity, and ill health: making the non-modifiable modifiable

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 400; no. 10368; pp. 2008 - 2009
• Main Authors: Selvarajah, Sujitha, Adil, Haleema Sadia, Ekechi, Christine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 10.12.2022; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Babies; Black people; Charities; Ethnicity; Gynecology; Health services; Hispanic people; Humans; Income; Meta-analysis; Minority & ethnic groups; Neonates; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; Premature birth; Race; Racism; Stillbirth; White People; Womens health; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02460-6

Associations between minoritised racial and ethnic populations and poorer health outcomes are well documented.1,2 In The Lancet, Jameela Sheikh and colleagues3 contribute to this evidence base with a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. 51 studies from 20 high-income to upper-middle-income countries, from the International Prediction of Pregnancy Complications (IPPIC) Network, with at least two ethnic or racial categories (White, Black, South Asian, Hispanic, or other), were included.3 Across 2 198 655 pregnancies, the outcomes studied were neonatal mortality, stillbirth, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age babies. The analyses showed that the increased risk of preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age babies did not vary for Black or South Asian women across regions.3 Doctor visit pregnant woman at home Vesnaandjic/Getty Images The wide-ranging geographical nature of the study and large size of the dataset are to be commended. CE is the Co-Chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Race Equality Taskforce; Director of Early Pregnancy Plus, a private ultrasound and pregnancy treatment service; has received speaker's fees from Google, Bolt Burdon Kemp, and The Financial Times on the topic of inequality in women's health outcomes; is an adviser for Baby Lifeline and a Trustee for The Eve Appeal charities; and is a member of the National Health Service (NHS) Race and Health Observatory Maternity Working Group.