Safe and Connected Communities
Investing in communities and strengthening social connections can address multiple social drivers of health that impact birthing people, babies and families.
What We Know
Numerous facets of community life impact maternal and infant health, including access to and investment in public services, such as community health centers, community gardens, transportation, safe housing, quality childcare and workforce development.
Investment in neighborhoods and support services are investments in families
Evidence shows that pregnant women who reside in low-opportunity neighborhoods (measured by residents' economic mobility) have an increased risk of preterm birth; this risk is higher for Black women than White or Latina women.
The Risk
Highly segregated communities have significantly higher preterm birth rates than communities that are less segregated, even when controlling for factors such as neighborhood poverty, insurance coverage and maternal medical conditions.
--Associations of neighborhood-level racial residential segregation with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Salow, Arturo D, et al. 2018, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, pp. e1-7.
News and Resources
An initiative of Opportunity Insights, the Opportunity Atlas lets users explore the question, “Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty?,” using anonymous data from more than 20 million Americans. It includes numerous economic and social outcomes, as well as neighborhood characteristics, and data can be disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender and parent’s income.
Information on maternal mental health and dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and other mental health struggles while pregnant or postpartum.
A great place to start for anyone interested in learning more about the interaction between early education, workforce development, adult education and social services.