A black baby survives with black doctors: US study
Black babies have a greater chance of survival when the hospital doctors in charge of their care are of the same race, a new study shows.
By Abel Karowangoro
While cared for by white doctors, black babies are about three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns.
In the US, babies of colour face starkly worse clinical outcomes than white newborns.
A published research by Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that black babies are more than twice as likely to die before reaching their first birthday as white babies, regardless of the mother’s income or education level.
While infant mortality has fallen overall in the past century thanks to improvements in hygiene, nutrition and healthcare, the black-white disparity has grown.
Multiple interrelated factors which contribute to these disparities include structural and societal racism, toxic stress and cumulative socioeconomic disadvantages.
Researchers reviewed 1.8m hospital birth records in Florida from 1992 to 2015, and established the race of the doctor in charge of each newborn’s care.
When cared for by white doctors, black babies are about three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns.
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