Racial Disparities in Cesarean Section Rates Between Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White Populations in the United States

Yanchao Yang (), Margaret Mullen and Guangda Zhang
Additional contact information
Yanchao Yang: DePauw University
Margaret Mullen: Northwestern University
Guangda Zhang: Claremont Graduate University

Atlantic Economic Journal, 2024, vol. 52, issue 4, No 5, 213-228

Abstract: Abstract This study uses national natality data from the National Vital Statistics System, provided by the National Center for Health Statistics, covering the years 2011 to 2018 (N = 23,810,031) to investigate racial disparities in cesarean section (C-section) rates between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White mothers in the United States. This analysis offers a comprehensive perspective on the factors contributing to C-section disparities by considering mothers' demographic characteristics, health conditions, and infant health status. Using multivariable logistic regression, the findings reveal consistently higher C-section rates for non-Hispanic Black mothers compared to non-Hispanic White mothers, with the gap widening over time. Even after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors, non-Hispanic Black mothers remained more likely to undergo C-sections. Using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition methods, key factors contributing to this C-section rates disparity include maternal age, the source of delivery payment, and fetal presentation. This study highlights the pressing need for further investigation into healthcare system factors and racial inequities driving these disparities, alongside the growing urgency for policy and practical interventions to reduce unnecessary C-sections.

Keywords: Health disparity; Cesarean section rate; Maternal and infant health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11293-024-09815-x Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:52:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11293-024-09815-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... cs/journal/11293/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s11293-024-09815-x

Access Statistics for this article

Atlantic Economic Journal is currently edited by Kathleen S. Virgo

More articles in Atlantic Economic Journal from Springer, International Atlantic Economic Society Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().