Black Women Health Equity – Perinatal Health
The term health equity follows as the pursuit for the removal of avoidable health disparities from affected populations, particularly Black communities within this context. Canada does not track race-based health data (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2020). Other countries like the United Kingdom and the United States that have a large percentage of the African diaspora and other communities of people of colour (POC) that may be impacted by social and systemic structures use race data to analyze health disparities disproportionately affecting these populations.
Without access to data that underscores the severity of the disparities, it is impossible to gain an understanding of predispositions to certain diseases, lower screening rates, and increased morbidity and mortality within these populations. Therefore, there is a need for more studies examining the intersection of race in health outcomes to understand Canadian health disparities for the Black population.
In a study comparing preterm birth rates between women of different races in the US and Canada, researchers found that Canadian women were less at risk of preterm birth than women in the US. However, even though there was a decreased risk overall in Canada for both Black and Caucasian women compared to the US, the disproportionate risk of delivering a preterm infant for Black women in the US was mirrored in Canada.
The purpose of this project:
- To bring awareness to Black health issues in a Canadian context
- To highlight health disparities experienced by the Black Canadian community
- To push for more studies that include racial data in health contexts
- To educate non-Black Canadians about the health disparities experienced by Black communities
Find out more
TRP Alumni Create Self-Advocacy Handbook for Black Patients Navigating Perinatal Care
Project team
- Gabrielle Retta
- Gemma Kabeya
TRP supervisors
Project advisory committee
- Ms. Althea Jones, Founder, CEO, Registered midwife, Ancestral Hands Midwives and Womb & Wellness
- Dr. Notisha Massaquoi, Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto, Scarborough
- Dr. Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto
See our community directory for more on committee members.