Maternal mortality highest for Ohio's Black women

Nearly 60 Black women died in Ohio in 2019 for every 100,000 live births, a maternal mortality rate far in excess of every other ethnic group, according to a JAMA study that provides the first state-level breakdowns by ethnicity.

Driving the news: Ohio's total maternal mortality rate rose almost imperceptibly from 1999-2019, with 10.7 deaths per 100,000 lives births in 1999 and 10.8 in 2019.

Yes, but: The data fluctuated wildly during that span, with a low of 5.3 deaths in 2001 and a high of 29.7 in 2016.

Between the lines: While American Indians and Alaska Natives saw the largest percentage increase in Ohio's maternal deaths (from 2.6 in 1999 to 11.5 in 2019), Black women saw the highest totals, (29.3 in 1999 to 59.7 in 2019).

The big picture: Maternal mortality rates more than doubled in the U.S. between 1999 and 2019, with states in the Midwest and Great Plains accounting for significant increases along with the South, Axios' Oriana González reports.

Details: Maternal mortality is defined as a death that takes place during birth or up to a year later.

• Common causes of maternal death include mental health conditions (including death by suicide and overdose related to substance use disorder), hemorrhages, blood clots, high blood pressure and cardiac and coronary conditions.

Go deeper: Maternal deaths widespread beyond the South