New research has shed light on the adverse impact of police violence on birth outcomes. The recent study was conducted by researchers at UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBI-CA), a branch of UC San Francisco, and UC Berkeley School of Public Health. It was published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology on March 10, 2021.

The study looked at California Department of Public Health (CDPH) birth records of 3.8 million pregnant women who gave birth between 2007 to 2015 to determine the short and long-term impact of police violence. The researchers also used two different sources of police violence data –CDPH death records as well as records from the Fatal Encounters database.

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The study found that the strongest link between preterm births occur when the target of police violence and the pregnant mother were both Black, Eureka Alert reports. Specifically, the research concluded that pregnant Black women are 80% more likely to have a preterm delivery between 32 to 33 weeks gestation if fatal police violence was present in their neighbourhood over the course of their pregnancy. As the study’s authors noted, these results highlight the adverse effect police violence has on the Black community.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a preterm birth occurs when a fetus is born any time before 37 weeks gestation. A 2019 study found that 1 in every 10 babies born in America are preterm. Preterm births have been associated with various health and development problems, including but not limited to breathing issues, feeding difficulties, developmental delays, and vision and hearing problems.

Interestingly, the study found that preterm births as a result of fatal police violence were more likely to affect female infants, Medical News notes. Dana Goin, PhD, post-doctoral scholar at UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, explained this is likely because male fetuses are more sensitive to stress in pregnancy, and therefore are more likely to be miscarried. Goin cautioned that further research needs to be undertaken to confirm this speculation.

The study also pinpointed several factors that appear to increase a neighbourhood’s likelihood of experiencing fatal police violence. Specifically, the researchers noted neighbourhoods that endured at least one case of fatal police violence were more likely to be home to Black or Latinx parents. The parents also tended to have less high school education and public insurance when compared to parents in neighbours that didn’t experience fatal police violence.

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Sources: Eureka Alert, CDC, Medical News