CHICAGO (AP) – Black women who have just given birth in Illinois are more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues within a year than non-Hispanic white women a new study finds.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday released a study of statewide trends in maternal deaths.

The study analyzed the cases of women who died between 2008 and 2016 while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy. Researchers found an average of 73 Illinois women died within one year of pregnancy. They also found black women are six times as likely to die of a pregnancy-related condition as white women.

Researchers also found that 72% of the pregnancy-related deaths and 93% of violent pregnancy-associated deaths could have been prevented. Obesity contributed to 44% of pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois between 2008-2016.

The department recommends expanding Medicaid eligibility for the postpartum period from 60 days to one year after delivery, among other remedies.