Unveiling Maternal Health Disparities: Addressing the Impact of Racism

Key Takeaways*:

Dr. Amutah-Onukagha noted that:

• Historically, women of color have disproportionately experienced reproductive injustices exacerbated by medical bias, unequal distribution of resources, and a lack of consistent, timely prenatal care and obstetrics.
• There are still many challenges and inequities occurring today, including under-resourcing and underfunding of hospitals and clinics in underserved communities, discrimination based on insurance status, systemic racism that influences health and public policy, and the use of race as a proxy for genetic or biological differences that can result in inaccurate diagnoses and inappropriate treatment.
• To address healthcare inequities, it’s important to consider all social determinants that influence health and well-being, including economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, food access, community safety and support, and healthcare systems.
• A variety of methods could be employed to advance racial equity and enact respectful maternity care, including recognizing how individual, social, and structural factors affect reproductive health outcomes; ensuring access to reproductive health resources and culturally responsive services to support decision-making; and using an intersectional and social-determinants-of-health lens to address reproductive health barriers perpetuated by systemic racism.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speaker and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Ph.D., M.P.H.​

Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine