Women's Health, Pregnancy

NIMHD’s Conversations with Researchers Innovating to Promote Health Equity

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As we celebrate the significant contributions to America—from its history through present day—by people who represent Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, we recognize researchers who are promoting health equity through their work funded through NIMHD’s Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program.

Medicaid covers both prenatal and postpartum care for many people in the United States who have low incomes, but current federal law allows Medicaid coverage only for U.S.

As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this year, we are recognizing community-engaged researchers at institutions that are historically committed to training populations underrepresented in science.

Child abuse and neglect are nationwide concerns. However, these problems happen more in some areas than others. A study was conducted to identify county-level socioeconomic and crime factors associated with disparities in substantiated abuse and neglect in Tennessee.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a way that federal and state governments help working people with lower incomes. Most analysis of how the EITC works looks at its economic effects.

Researchers funded by NIMHD are exploring a different kind of effect: whether economic assistance improves health—specifically, whether it leads to healthier pregnancies. More money could mean better prenatal care, or healthier food.

In the United States, infant mortality among non-Hispanic Blacks is twice the rate among non-Hispanic Whites. This disparity may be linked to income inequality. People living in poverty are less likely than their high-income counterparts to have access to adequate health resources and nutrition and are more likely to have infants with low birthweight.

Black and Latina women suffer more than White women from severe maternal morbidity (SMM): serious unexpected health problems, such as heart attacks or kidney failure, related to labor and delivery. Researchers looked at the differences in SMM rates among racial and ethnic groups within hospitals in New York City.