Social determinants of health and obstetric outcomes: A report and recommendations of the workshop of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Abstract

This article is a report of a 2-day workshop, entitled “Social determinants of health and obstetric outcomes,” held during the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine 2022 Annual Pregnancy Meeting. Participants’ fields of expertise included obstetrics, pediatrics, epidemiology, health services, health equity, community-based research, and systems biology. The Commonwealth Foundation and the Alliance of Innovation on Maternal Health cosponsored the workshop and the Society for Women's Health Research provided additional support. The workshop included presentations and small group discussions, and its goals were to accomplish the following: 1. Review the current evidence on the relationship between social determinants of health and obstetrical outcomes 2. Discuss approaches to and research opportunities for the epidemiologic analysis of social determinants of health in obstetrical settings 3. Discuss approaches to and research opportunities for measuring how social determinants get biologically embedded to influence health and disease risk 4. Discuss approaches to and research opportunities for interventions and strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of social determinants of health and improve obstetrical outcomes