Low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively impacts birth outcomes

Kohrt Commons; Plyler Hall

It has been proposed that low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively impacts birth outcomes. Additionally, these effects of low maternal SES are seen beyond the initial birth outcome ultimately driving a child’s long-term health, regardless of region. Social determinants and increased stress of women living in a low SES are major factors related to lower birth outcomes, but can be addressed through non-medical interventions. Group pregnancy classes/appointments and a change in professional training can offer a low-cost, noninvasive approach to better the health outcomes of children born into a low SES. The significance of group pregnancy classes on birth outcomes was assessed by looking at data collected at the CenteringPregnancy Center in Greenville, South Carolina. CenteringPregnancy models have been shown to reduce maternal stress, therefore bettering birth outcomes such as birth weight. Adapting medical school education to move outside the traditional training into a community-based training and including the social determinants of health into medical education can improve health by having informed physicians about the link between poverty and health.