Leslie M Kantor, Naomi Cruz, Christiana Adams, Constance Akhimien, Fauziyya Allibay Abdulkadir, Cherriece Battle, Maria Oluwayemi, Olanike Salimon, Sang Hee Won, Sophee Niraula, Teri Lassiter
This study on Black women's maternal health engaged a group of six community members in a community based participatory research project in a state with one of the largest racial disparities in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States. The community members conducted 31 semi-structured interviews with other Black women who had given birth within the past 3 years to examine their experiences throughout the perinatal and post-partum period. Four main themes emerged: (1) challenges related to the structure of healthcare, including insurance gaps, long wait times, lack of co-location of services, and financial challenges for both insured and uninsured people; (2) negative experiences with healthcare providers, including dismissal of concerns, lack of listening, and missed opportunities for relationship building; (3) preference for racial concordance with providers and experiences with discrimination across multiple dimensions; and (4) mental health concerns and lack of social support...
June 29, 2023: Behavioral Medicine