The Lancet (2023) reports that Black women in the UK and US are 40% more likely to miscarry and 4 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth, when compared to their White counterparts. It is believed that Black Canadian women experience similar disparities; however, research is limited. This week I have curated resources on the health disparities of Black women during pregnancy and childbirth, to understand the Canadian perspective.

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My first curated resource discusses the gaps in research and includes an interview with Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass, a Toronto-based obstetrician-gynecologist and president of Black Physicians of Canada, who is advocating for more data to ensure the rights of maternal health are upheld for Black women who are navigating the healthcare system. Click here to read the article.

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My second resource reinforces the need for more Canadian research in the area of Black maternal health. The article discusses the data gaps and identifies influencing factors that lead to poorer health outcomes for Black pregnant women while accessing the health care system, such as the negative portrayal of Black people in the media and systemic racism. The complete article can be found here.

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Finally, I found a Canadian qualitative research study that interviewed 24 pregnant or parenting Black women, to analyse their experiences while receiving pre- and post-natal care in Toronto. The researchers uncovered themes that can lead to mistrust of the healthcare system by Black service users. The themes are illustrated in Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Obstetric racism and perceived quality of maternity care in Canada:

Voices of Black women. Themes and sub-themes, Boakye et al., 2023

 

As illustrated, the impact of Obstetric racism can negatively impact the delivery of culturally sensitive services and the health outcomes of impacted women and their families. The authors identify strategies that may strategically address the issue such as cultural training for staff and advocacy at the policy level. The article can be viewed here.

 

 

Curated Resources

 

Boakye, P. N., Prendergast, N., Bandari, B., Anane Brown, E., Odutayo, A., & Salami, S. (2023). Obstetric racism and perceived quality of maternity care in Canada: Voices of Black women. Women’s Health, 19, 17455057231199652. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231199651

 

 

News ·, V. A. · C. (2021, June 23). Canada has a blind spot for Black maternal health. Better data could help, doctors say | CBC News. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-black-maternal-health-1.6075277

 

Thelancet.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00682-6/fulltext

 

 

Where is Canada’s data on Black maternal health and mortality? (n.d.). Canadian Healthcare Network. Retrieved November 20, 2023, from https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/where-canadas-data-black-maternal-health-and-mortality

 

Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | Health Equity Features | CDC. (2023, April 27). https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.html

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