The socioeconomic status of first-time moms in early pregnancy may affect their cardiovascular health up to seven years later.

Socioeconomic status — education level, income level, health insurance status and health literacy — of pregnant individuals was responsible for more than half of the long-term heart health disparities among Black, Hispanic and white women, according to a new study.

To get a good sense of a country’s level of development, you need to look at the items people have in their homes, according to economists Rutger Schilpzand and Jeroen Smits from Radboud University. Research on low- and middle-income countries often focuses on income, health or education, but that doesn’t tell you the full story of a country’s situation. ‘That’s why, for the first time, we are mapping out how the material wealth of households is developing,’ Schilpzand explains. The researchers coin this material wealth growth for households the 'domestic transition'. Their research is published today in the Journal of International Development.