5 Key Takeaways from the 2024 Maternal and Infant Mortality Report

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Despite advances in modern medicine, the US continues to have one of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the developed world.  

In 2021, there were 32.9 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

Fast forward to 2022 and the maternal mortality rate is down to 22.3 deaths for every 100,000 live births, according to a new March of Dimes report. 

The new rate marks a significant departure from the time of the pandemic when maternal mortality rates were at an all-time high.  

However, not everything is back to pre-pandemic levels. 

Here are the five key takeaways from the 2024 March of Dimes Report Card and what they mean for the health of mothers across the country.  

1. Southern States Have Some of the Worst Preterm Birth Rates

In 2023, the preterm birth rate in the US was 10.4%, representing little to no change from 2022.  

Several southern states, including Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, are on par with the rest of the country, standing at a preterm birth rate of 10.4% to 11.4%, according to the report. 

Higher preterm birth rates continue into the southern region with many states to the east of Texas sharing a rate of 11.5% or greater. 

This includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia.  

While southern states have higher preterm birth rates, states to the north, such as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and states on the west coast, like California, Oregon, and Washington have some of the lowest in the country.  

Major cities in these states contribute to the high and low rates.  

For instance, Detroit (14.8%), Cleveland (14.8%), and Mobile, Alabama (14.6%) had the worst preterm birth rates in the country, while cities like Irvine, California (7%) and Seattle (8.1%) have some of the best, according to the report. 

2. Preterm Birth is Linked to Background and Other Health Risks

Like many health conditions, preterm birth can affect people of different backgrounds more often.

For example, here are the preterm birth rates among groups, according to March of Dimes: Black individuals (14.7%), Pacific Islander individuals (12.4%), American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals (12.4%), Latino individuals (10.1%), and White individuals (9.5%).  

There are also certain health conditions that can play a role in someone’s risk for preterm birth. 

Diabetes (28.8%), smoking (15.5%), hypertension (23.3%), and obesity (12.3%) can increase someone’s risk for preterm labor. 

The environment can also impact someone’s risk for preterm labor.  

According to the report, 40.7% of birthing people are at risk for extreme heat exposure and 73.7% of birthing people are at risk for poor air quality exposure, which has been known to cause childhood obesity.  

3. Infant Mortality is Higher in South and Midwest Regions

The infant mortality rate in the US is 5.6 for every 1,000 live births. 

In 2022, over 20,000 babies died before their first birthday, with the greatest number of deaths coming out of the South and Midwest regions, according to the report. 

Furthermore, only 16 states meet the target for infant mortality, which is 5 deaths per 1,000 births.  

Some of those states include northern states, such as New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and states on the west coast, such as California, Oregon, and Washington.  

Birth defects account for 20% of infant deaths, preterm birth and low birth weight 15%, SIDS at 7.3%, and accidents 6.4%.  

Here are the infant mortality rates among groups, according to March of Dimes: Black individuals (10.6%), Pacific Islander individuals (8.7%), American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals (8.1%), and Latino individuals (4.8%).  

4. Maternal Mortality is Higher Among Certain People

While maternal mortality has decreased over the last year, 800 maternal deaths occurred in 2022 — many of these individuals were people of different backgrounds, according to the report. 

Here are the maternal mortality rates among groups, according to March of Dimes: American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals (58.0 deaths for every 100,000 live births), Black individuals (51.0), Pacific Islander individuals (47.4), and White, Latino, and Asian individuals all have a rate lower than 20.0.  

Several states are prone to worse maternal health outcomes, many of them being in the southern-most United States.  

These states have low access to quality healthcare, many of them being in maternity care deserts, or have low access to insurance, leading to delayed maternity care. 

The report indicates that 15.7% of pregnant people received care beginning in the fifth month or later.  

Pregnant people living in these areas are also more prone to cesarean births, which can complicate the health of the mother and child.  

In fact, 26.6% of cesarean births were done on first-time moms carrying a single baby, positioned head-first and performed at least 37 weeks pregnant.  

5. States Have Begun Addressing Maternal and Infant Mortality

States where maternity mortality, preterm births, and infant mortality are low remain low because they’ve instituted important measures that ensure the health of expectant mothers and their babies, according to the report. 

To improve access to healthcare, four states and DC have midwife policies in place, according to the report. 

In response to low access to insurance, 37 states and DC have expanded and extended Medicaid coverage.  

So far, 12 states have adopted policies that require, screening for postpartum depression, and another 17 states and DC require Medicaid reimburse for doula care.  

To help families after birth, nine states and DC have implemented 12-week paid leave. 

Assisting with the maternal mortality and infant mortality crisis in the US further, 24 states and Puerto Rico have a CDC-funded maternal mortality review committee. This committee also reviews fetal and infant deaths.  

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