Integrative Review of Racial Disparities in Perinatal Outcomes Among Beneficiaries of the Military Health System.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the extent to which racial disparities exist in the perinatal outcomes of beneficiaries of the Military Health System (MHS).

DATA SOURCES: We searched the PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases.

STUDY SELECTION: We selected articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals in which the authors examined race in relation to perinatal outcomes among beneficiaries of the MHS. Date of publication was unrestricted through March 2021.

DATA EXTRACTION: Twenty-six articles met the inclusion criteria. We extracted data about study design, purpose, sample, setting, and results. We also assigned quality appraisal ratings to each article.

DATA SYNTHESIS: In most of the included articles, researchers observed differences in perinatal outcomes between Black and White women. Compared to White women, Black women had greater rates of cesarean birth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age neonates. White women had greater rates of postpartum depression than Black women.

CONCLUSION

Racial disparities in very low birth weight newborns and preterm birth may be smaller in the MHS than in the general population of the United States. The overall rates of preterm birth, cesarean birth, and neonatal mortality were lower for beneficiaries of the MHS than in the general population of the United States.