Navigating medical racism : how Black Canadian women experience reproductive healthcare in Canada
department or school: Health and Social Development, Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Nursing, School of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Awotwi-Pratt, Stephanie
issued: 2024-12-19T20:35:31Z
issued: 2024
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Black women in the United States die of pregnancy-related causes at a three times higher rate than white women, regardless of the motherâs socioeconomic status. Systemic medical racism contributes to high morbidity and mortality rates among Black populations. Currently, there is a lack of race-based data collected in Canada. Given there is evidence of medical racism experienced by Black women in the United States, Black Canadian women may experience medical racism within the Canadian healthcare system. This study aims to understand how Black Canadian women navigate and manage obstetric racism in reproductive healthcare contexts. Trauma-informed intersectional feminist research practices empower and encourage Black women to share their experiences. Qualitative descriptive was used to understand how Black women experience medical racism. Black women living in Canada actively participated in twenty-five in-depth one-on-one interviews. Five themes include: 1) Black women anticipate experiencing some form of discrimination given the known health inequalities in the U.S., 2) healthcare providers consistently dismiss Black womenâs pain. 3) healthcare providersâ perception of Black women affects their care, 4) increased need for Black representation in reproductive healthcare providers, and 5) patient-centred care improves Black womenâs wellbeing. This study findings show that, despite implementing strategies to overcome racism and discrimination, participants still endure forms of systemic racism. Healthcare providers need to be aware that Black women experience health disparities due to a providersâ personal bias and the systemic barriers that exist in the healthcare system. Healthcare providers must understand that Black women may withhold health information to protect themselves from negative stereotypes. Healthcare providers need training on cultural safety to recognize their implicit biases and to provide safe and equitable care. Recruiting medical professionals who r…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/89950
note: NAVIGATING MEDICAL RACISM: HOW BLACK CANADIAN WOMEN EXPERIENCE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE IN CANADA by Stephanie Awotwi-Pratt B.Sc., University of British Columbia (Okanagan), 2018 B.A., University of British Columbia (Okanagan), 2022 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) (Power, Conflict, and Ideas) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) December 2024 © Stephanie Awotwi-Pratt, 2024 ii The following individuals certify that they have read and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance a thesis entitled: Navigating Medical Racism: How Black Canadian Women Experience Reproductive Healthcare in Canada submitted by Stephanie Awotwi-Pratt in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts. Dr. Marie Tarrant School of Nursing Supervisor Assistant Professor Rishma Chooniedass School of Nursing Co- Supervisor Dr. Margaret Carlyle, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Heather Latimer, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Laura Meek, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University Examiner iii Abstract Black women in the United States die of pregnancy-related causes at a three times higher rate than white women, regardless of the motherâs socioeconomic status. Systemic medical racism contributes to high morbidity and mortality rates among Black populations. Currently, there is a lack of race-based data collected in Canada. Given there is evidence of medical racism experienced by Black women in the United States, Black Canadian women may experience medical racism within the Canadian healthcare system. This study aims to understand how Black Canadian women navigate and manage obstetric racism in reproductive healthcare contexts. Trauma-informed intersectional feminist research practices empower and enco…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-02
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0447580
language: eng
degree discipline: Interdisciplinary Studies
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Tarrant, Marie
contributor: Chooniedass, Rishma
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89950