Launch of the Black Women’s Health Initiative: A New Era for Health Equity
by Amoy Jacques
Many grassroots and institutional efforts have been made to improve the health of Black women in Canada, this vulnerable group still faces unaddressed health inequities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “health inequities are systematic differences in the health status of different population groups” [1]. These systematic differences are related to social structures set in place to uplift certain groups and oppress others. The health of Black women is influenced by intersecting social identities and health status, such as, age, gender, immigration status, ethnicity, pre-existing chronic diseases etc. which leads to unique health challenges. For instance, in 2008, the rate of new HIV infections was seven times higher among Black women in Canada, than among White counterparts [2].
Furthermore, social and structural factors like HIV-related stigma, gender discrimination, and racial discrimination contribute to these disparities [3-9]. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted these issues, with Black communities experiencing higher infection and death rates due to co-morbid conditions and structural factors related to income, employment, and housing [10-13]. Black women face additional vulnerabilities due to economic challenges and systemic barriers in accessing health care [14-15]. Moreover, anti-Black racism, stigma, and discrimination significantly hinder Black women’s ability to obtain necessary health services [16-18].
This is why the Black Women’s Health Initiative (BWHI) was created. The program launched on the 18th of June at the University of Ottawa led by Dr. Josephine Etowa at CO-CREATH lab in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health and marked the beginning of a dedicated research agenda focused on Black Women’s Health in Canada, setting the stage for a decade-long effort from 2025-2035., setting the stage for a decade-long effort from 2025-2035.
Why is the BWHI being launched now?
The launch of a Black Women’s Health Initiative is long overdue for numerous reasons. For many years, Black women in Canada have been significantly underrepresented in research and healthcare interventions which could have contributed to the disproportionate disease burden observed among Black women [19].
For example, in 2019-2020, ACB women were overly represented among HIV cases in Ontario, with 59% of new diagnoses among women [20]. Although this percentage decreased to 44.4% in 2020, ACB women remained overrepresented compared to 31.5% for White women and 13% for Indigenous women [20]. Overall, Black people annually account for one of every four new diagnoses, and Black people living with HIV experience higher mortality rates than their white counterparts [21]
.
The Black Women’s Health Initiative aims to establish a comprehensive 10-year research agenda addressing the unique health challenges faced by Black women in Canada. The initiative will catalyze a series of national conversations titled SHESpeaks (Sisterhood for Health Equity), led by Dr. Josephine Etowa and key leaders across the country. The first SHESpeaks conversation occurred on July 11th with many more to come. The launch on June 18th spotlighted four critical axes:
Reproductive health,
- Mental health,
- Infectious diseases, and
- Chronic diseases.
Reproductive health:
Reproductive health is a crucial component of women’s wellbeing.
Under this axis we will shed more light on topics such as reproductive and pregnancy care, gynecological health (including uterine fibroids and endometriosis), maternal and newborn health, and menopause.
Mental health:
Mental health impacts every other aspect of a person’s well-being. Therefore, under this topic we will address •Maternal mental health (i.e. during the perinatal period)
•Impact of the weathering effect
•Physical, emotional, psychological and environmental stress influencing chronic diseases (e.g. workplace stress)
•Mental health impact of gender-based violence and trauma
•Substance abuse
Infectious diseases:
Under this axis we will investigate infectious diseases that disproportionately impact ACB women in Canada. Topics like HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases, blood borne infections (STBBI), COVID-19 and much more.
Chronic diseases:
Under this axis we will investigate chronic diseases that disproportionately impact ACB women in Canada.
Topics like:
- Cancer including Breast cancer (Triple Negative Breast Cancer), ovarian, etc.
- Heart health
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Obesity
Hashtags:
#SHESpeaks #BlackWomen’sHealth #BWH #HealthEquityforBlackWomen #BlackWomen’sHealthMatters #CoCREATHLab #SisterhoodforEquity #SocialDeterminants #Reimaginebetterhealth
Want to get involved?
If you would like to become involved in this exciting, unprecedented and transformative work, please fill out the registration form at this link.
Amoy Jacques is CO-CREATH Lab Program Manager. She can be reached at [email protected]
Footnotes:
1.World Health Organization (2018, February 22). Health inequities and their causes. https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/health-inequities-and-their-causes#:~:text=Health%20inequities%20are%20differences%20in,WHO%2FC .
2.Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). HIV and AIDS in Canada. Surveillance Report to December31, 2008. Ottawa. Public Health Agency of Canada, Surveillance and Risk Assessment Division 2009.
3.Etowa J, Hannan J, Babatunde S, Etowa EB, Mkandawire P, Phillips JC. HIV-Related Stigma among Black Mothers in Two North American and One African Cities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. 2020 Mar 20:1-0.
4.Dyson YD, Mobley Y, Harris G, Randolph SD. Using the Social-Ecological Model of HIV Prevention to Explore HIV Testing Behaviors of Young Black College Women. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. 2018 Jan 1;29(1):53-9.
5.McDougall Jr GJ, Dalmida SG, Foster PP, Burrage J. Barriers and Facilitators to HIV Testing Among Women. HIV/AIDS research and treatment: open journal. 2016;2016(SE1):S9.
6.Sherr L, Clucas C, Harding R, Sibley E, Catalan J. HIV and depression—A systematic review of interventions. Psychol Health Med 2011;16:493–527.
7.Newman PA, Williams CC, Massaquoi N, Brown M, Logie C. HIV prevention for Black women: Structural barriers and opportunities. J Health Care Poor Underserved 2008;19:829–841.
8.Williams CC, Newman PA, Sakamoto I, Massaquoi N. HIV prevention and the social organization of risk for Black women in Canada. Soc Sci Med 2009 68:12–20.
9.Tharao E, Massaquoi N. Black women and HIV/AIDS: contextualizing their realities, their silence, and proposed solutions. Canadian Woman Studies. 2001 Sep 1;21(2).
10. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario)(2020). COVID-19 in Ontario – A Focus on Diversity: January 15, 2020 to May 14, 2020 Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
11.Choi, K., & Denice, P. (2020). Neighbourhood SES and the COVID-19 Pandemic. SocArXIV.
12. Subedi R., Greenberg L., Turcotte M. (2020). COVID-19 mortality rates in Canada’s ethno-cultural neighbourhoods. Statistics Canada. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00079-eng.htm. Accessed on 13 Feb 2021.
13. Statistics Canada. (2020). COVID-19 in Canada: A Six-month Update on Social and Economic Impacts. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2020003-eng.htm. Accessed on 13 Feb 2021.
14. Turcotte, M. & Savage, K. (2020). The contribution of immigrants and population groups designated as visible minorities to nurse aide, orderly and patient service associate occupations. Statistics Canada.
15. Braithwaite, R., & Warren, R. The African American Petri Dish. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (in press).
16. Etowa J. Diversity, Racism and Eurocentric-normative Practice in Healthcare. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research (IJHSR), 2016 6 (1), 278-289.
17. Etowa J. Know what battle to fight and how to fight it: Navigating the cultural terrain of healthcare. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research (IJHSR), 2016 6(4):1-13.
18. Etowa, J., Beagan, B., Bernard, W. & Eghan, F. “You Feel You Have to be Made of Steel”: The Strong Black Woman, Health and Wellbeing in Nova Scotia. Health Care For Women International 201738(4):379-393
19 . OHESI (2022). A Snapshot of HIV Diagnoses and the HIV Care Cascade among Women in Ontario, March 9, 2022. Retrieved at: https://www.ohesi.ca/a-snapshot-of-hiv-diagnoses-andthe-hiv-care-cascade-among-women-in-ontario/
20. Tjepkema, M., Christidis, T., Olaniyan, T., & Hwee, J. (2023). Mortality inequalities of Black adults in Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2023002/article/00001-eng.htm