Maternal deaths among Brazilian indigenous women—Analysis from 2015 to 2021

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study examines maternal mortality among Brazilian indigenous women from 2015 to 2021, contrasting their causes of death with non‐indigenous women.MethodsAn observational study utilizing Ministry of Health data analyzed maternal deaths' characteristics, comparing indigenous and non‐indigenous groups based on death certificates and live‐birth records. Variables included age, region, location, time, and cause of death. Maternal mortality ratios (MMR) were calculated with linear regression and outliers identified with Grubbs test. Prevalence ratios compared MMR and causes of death.ResultsBetween 2015 to 2021, Brazil recorded 13 023 maternal deaths. Among these, with 205 among indigenous women (1.60% of total). Indigenous women had higher MMR (115.14/100 000), than non‐ indigenous women (66.92/100 000), consistently across years. Hemorrhagic causes notably contributed to the indigenous women's elevated MMR.ConclusionIndigenous Brazilian women face elevated maternal mortality rates across all causes, primarily due to hemorrhage, contrasting wih national trends.