New statistics suggest that poverty and an obesity epidemic are contributing to stubborn mortality rates among pregnant women in New York City.
The Health Department reported yesterday that half the 161 women who died because of a problem with their pregnancy between 2001 and 2005 were obese. It says a disproportionate number lacked health insurance.
The city’s rate of 23.1 pregnancy deaths per 100,000 births is twice the national average.