Are black babies in the US really more likely to die under the care of white doctors?
How baby mortality statistics gave a misleading impression about racism in the healthcare system.
Babies born in the US to Black Hispanic or African American mothers are more likely to die than any other ethnic group in America.
That is a fact.
But the reason why this happens is unclear. In 2020 a study came out that claimed that black babies attended by white doctors after birth were twice as likely to die than white babies attended by white doctors.
People jumped to the conclusion that the race of the doctor was leading to the different outcomes. But when you delve into the numbers, a very different picture starts to emerge.
Presenter: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: Steve Greenwood
Editor: Richard Vadon
Podcast
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More or Less: Behind the Stats
Tim Harford investigates numbers in the news: are they always reliable?
