Overview:
A six-year Arizona study found that Native patients experienced the highest and fastest-rising rates of life-threatening birth complications.
A six-year study at two Arizona hospitals revealed that Native Americans had the highest rates of life-threatening birth complications of any demographic. Native patients were the only group to see a statistically significant increase in complications, which increased fivefold over the course of the study.
Researchers analyzed birth records from two hospitals in Arizona’s East Valley region. The study included 1,554 births among Native patients, with 64 of those involving severe maternal morbidity, which refers to life-threatening complications that occur during pregnancy, labor, or postpartum.
While the study did not pinpoint what caused the increase in life-threatening complications, researchers say the next phase will examine age, prenatal care access, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidities to determine what drives the disparity.
The study reflects a national trend in which Native people have the highest maternal mortality rates of any demographic.  Mental health and infections are the leading causes of death for Native mothers, and researchers recently found that the vast majority of those deaths are preventable. Advocates say that restricted access to care continues to have dire consequences for Native families — in 2024, 75% of pregnant Native people did not have access to the Indian Health Service to give birth, despite the agency’s role in fulfilling the federal treaty obligation to provide healthcare to Native people.
