Severe Maternal Morbidity in New Jersey
Geographic Patterns and Associations with Municipal Expenditures in the State
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Report Publish Date: January 1, 2021
This journal article describes a study looking at associations between severe pregnancy complications in New Jersey and municipal spending on services for residents.
Primary Takeaways
The authors found that levels of severe pregnancy complications varied considerably by city. They also found that in cities that spent more on services such as transportation, health, housing, libraries, and welfare, women were less likely to have severe pregnancy complications, compared to women in cities that spent less on those same resident services. Conversely, in cities that spent more on police, women were more likely to have severe pregnancy complications.
Overview and Objectives
The United States has a high rate of death related to pregnancy, which is often linked to complications of pregnancy, and New Jersey is one of the states with the highest rates of severe pregnancy complications. The authors wanted to know whether severe pregnancy complication rates vary by city in New Jersey. They also wanted to see whether city spending that is directly or indirectly related to health (including during pregnancy) contributes to rates of pregnancy complications.
Hypothesis or Approach
The authors analyzed over one million New Jersey birth files, covering a ten-year period (2008–2018). They matched the birth records to maternal hospital discharge records and data on city spending. They used hospital discharge codes and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria to identify women with severe pregnancy complications.
How This Influences Change
“The findings from this study indicate that place matters for Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) and that interventions at the municipal level that go beyond reproductive healthcare may be an effective approach for reducing SMM,” the authors write.
Research: Go Deeper
Research Team
This study and report was conducted and created by the following people.
- Felix M. Muchomba
- Julien Teitler
- Lakota Kruse
- Nancy E. Reichman
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