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Poster Session 2

Category: Health Equity/Community Health

Poster Session 2

(515) Comparing Severe Maternal Morbidity Between Somali and Non-Somali Black Birthing Individuals

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

Isahaq Abdullahi, MD (he/him/his)

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Coauthor(s)

LT

Lensa Toka

University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States
CD

Connor Demorest, BS, MS

Biostatistician, Biostatistics Core, Masonic Cancer Center
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
KT

Katelyn M. Tessier, MS

Senior Biostatistician
University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, Minnesota, United States
Cresta W. Jones, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
University of Minnesota
MInneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Bethany A. Sabol, MD MAS (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Sarah A. Wernimont, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Objective:
While Black pregnant individuals experience worse perinatal outcomes than White counterparts, outcomes within Black minority populations remain understudied. The heterogeneity of Black populations includes both descendants of enslaved Africans and recent immigrants from regions of the Black diaspora, who may have distinct health profiles. To address this gap and identify within-group differences, we evaluated severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and neonatal outcomes among Somali immigrants—one distinct diaspora subgroup—compared to the broader Black population.

Study Design:
In a retrospective cohort study from 2016-2024, we identified Somali and non-Somali Black individuals within an academic-community birth outcomes database using reported race, primary language (Somali), and country of origin documentation. Clinical characteristics including SMM using CDC's 21-indicator criteria (excluding blood transfusions) and a neonatal morbidity composite were compared using chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Student’s t-test as appropriate.

Results:
Among 7,373 births, 2,425 (32.9%) were Somali and 4,948 (67.1%) non-Somali Black individuals. Differences in baseline characteristics included older age, higher multiparous rates, higher public insurance rates and lower epidural and C-section rates among Somali compared to non-Somali Black individuals (all p< 0.001). SMM during birth hospitalization was similar between groups, but significantly lower at 6 weeks postpartum in Somali compared to non-Somali Black individuals (0.5% vs 1.0%, p=0.021). However, after adjusting for parity, mode of delivery and insurance type, difference in 6-week postpartum SMM was not statistically significant (aOR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.29-1.05). Composite neonatal outcomes were lower in Somali births compared to non-Somali Black births (14.3% vs 17.1%, p=0.002).

Conclusion:
No differences in SMM were noted between Somali and non-Somali birth populations. However, neonatal morbidity was lower in Somali populations. These findings challenge assumptions about immigrant health disparities within Black populations.