Social disadvantage and its effect on maternal and newborn health

Social disadvantage impacts the health of women and newborns throughout the life course. Contributing factors such as low educational attainment, unemployment, poverty, and lack of health insurance disproportionately affects minority women of reproductive age in the United States. This article reviews social disadvantage as it contributes to health status and health disparities for mothers and newborns in the United States and highlights the opportunities to improve social and structural determinants of health to address these gaps.