UCLA obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Michael Lu believes that for many women of color, racism over a life time, not just during the nine months of pregnancy, increases the risk of preterm delivery. To improve birth outcomes, Lu argues, we must address the conditions that impact women’s health not just when they become pregnant but from childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.
This video is a Web-exclusive supplement to “When the Bough Breaks,” Episode 2 of “UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” This ground-breaking documentary series looks at how the social, economic and physical environments in which we are born, live, and work profoundly affect our longevity and health. The series broadcast nationally on PBS in spring 2008, and can be bought on DVD from California Newsreel, www.newsreel.org
Visit www.unnaturalcauses.org to learn more.
Facts from the video:
White mothers who have not graduated HS have healthier pregnancies than black mothers with a college degree… infant mortality rates for black mothers are almost 3x higher than white mothers.
Interesting look at the stress of everyday racism ad how it affects the pregnancy & physiology of the black mother - and thus the health of the unborn child.
