-
COVID-19, Labor, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Premature birth, Racial disparities, Racism
Born Too Soon
Read More: Born Too SoonAs if finding out she was expecting in the midst of a global pandemic weren’t news enough, Merrick Smith said her surprise turned to shock last year when she later learned that she was carrying twins, due on Christmas Day. Her pregnancy started off pretty normal, and working from home, as many resorted to during…
-
The Pain Gap: Why Women’s Pain Is Undertreated
Read More: The Pain Gap: Why Women’s Pain Is UndertreatedWhen Karen Finney went into the hospital for brain surgery, she was well aware of the gender pain gap: women in pain are taken and treated less seriously than men in pain. Women of color are affected even more severely, and as a Black woman, Finney knew the hill to relief would be even steeper…
-
How Sarah Baartman’s Hips Went From a Symbol of Exploitation to a Source of Empowerment for Black Women
Read More: How Sarah Baartman’s Hips Went From a Symbol of Exploitation to a Source of Empowerment for Black WomenBy Rokeshia Renné Ashley, Florida International University In “BLACK EFFECT,” a track from Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s 2018 collaborative album “EVERYTHING IS LOVE,” Beyoncé describes a quintessential Black female form: Stunt with your curls, your lips, Sarah Baartman hips Gotta hop into my jeans like I hop into my whip, yeah The celebration of Sarah Baartman’s…
-
Beauty, Breast cancer, Breast health, Hair, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Research, Science
25-Year-Long Study of Black Women Links Frequent Use of Lye-Based Hair Relaxers to a Higher Risk of Breast Cancer
Read More: 25-Year-Long Study of Black Women Links Frequent Use of Lye-Based Hair Relaxers to a Higher Risk of Breast CancerKimberly Bertrand, Boston University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Frequent and long-term use of lye-based hair straightening products, or relaxers, may increase the risk of breast cancer among Black women, compared with more moderate use. Boston University’s Black Women’s Health Study followed 59,000 self-identified African American…
-
Access, Access to health care, Chronic conditions, Health care, Health care professionals, Health disparities, Obesity, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Real women real stories
Losing Weight Helped Heal Not Just My Body, But My Mind and Spirit, Too
Read More: Losing Weight Helped Heal Not Just My Body, But My Mind and Spirit, TooAs told to Kimberly Rex Before December 2017, I was anxious every time I had to ride on an airplane. But it’s not because I was afraid to fly. I was angry and embarrassed because I hated asking the flight attendant for a seat belt extender. I was 5 feet 1 inch tall and 323…
-
Access, Access to health care, Chronic conditions, Kidney, Policy, Racial disparities, Research, Urinary tracts conditions
Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing so Is Complicated.
Read More: Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing so Is Complicated.By Rae Ellen Bichell and Cara Anthony, Kaiser Health News Alphonso Harried recently came across a newspaper clipping about his grandfather receiving his 1,000th dialysis treatment. His grandfather later died — at a dialysis center — as did his uncle, both from kidney disease. “And that comes in my mind, on my weak days: ‘Are…
-
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Pandemic, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Vaccinations, Vaccines
An Anti-Vaccine Film Targeted to Black Americans Spreads False Information
Read More: An Anti-Vaccine Film Targeted to Black Americans Spreads False InformationBy Will Stone, Kaiser Health News When a filmmaker asked medical historian Naomi Rogers to appear in a documentary, the Yale professor didn’t blink. She had done these “talking head” interviews many times before. She assumed her comments would end up in a straightforward documentary that addressed some of the most pressing concerns of the…
-
Access, Health disparities, Labor, Labor & delivery, Newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Racial disparities
Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black Obstetricians
Read More: Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black ObstetriciansIn South Florida, when people want to find a Black physician, they often contact Adrienne Hibbert through her website, Black Doctors of South Florida. “There are a lot of Black networks that are behind the scenes,” said Hibbert, who runs her own marketing firm. “I don’t want them to be behind the scenes, so I’m…
-
Access, Access to health care, Anxiety, Depression, Health disparities, mental health, Racial disparities, Self-Care, Stress
Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of Color
Read More: Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of ColorFrancisca Porchas Coronado was just nine when she left her home in the Mexican state of Sonora, just south of the border with Arizona, to migrate to the United States. The memories of traveling through the desert and resettling in a new country still linger even though she’s lived in the United States for more…
-
Sending Science Majors Into Elementary Schools Helps Latino and Black Students Realize Scientists Can Look Like Them
Read More: Sending Science Majors Into Elementary Schools Helps Latino and Black Students Realize Scientists Can Look Like ThemBy Dieuwertje J. Kast, University of Southern California The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea After taking part in hands-on STEM lab experiments as part of a youth science program I coordinate, Latino and Black students were more likely to picture scientists as people who look like them…
-
Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, Healthy Eating, mental health, Nutrition, Racial disparities, Self-Care, Stress
Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating
Read More: Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier EatingBy Chandra Thomas Whitfield, Kaiser Health News DENVER — Ietef Vita had planned to spend most of 2020 on the road, promoting “Biomimicz,” the album the rapper had released on his #plantbasedrecords label in January. Vita, known to his fans as “DJ Cavem Moetavation” and “Chef Ietef,” had those plans unexpectedly cut short. This story…
-
Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Keep the care, Policy, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis Brings More Attention to Solving Long-Ignored Racial Gaps in Health
Read More: Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis Brings More Attention to Solving Long-Ignored Racial Gaps in HealthBy Paul K. Halverson, IUPUI The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined hundreds of cities and counties across the country in declaring racism a public health threat. On April 8, 2021, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky called racism an epidemic that affects “the entire health of our nation.” Declaring racism a public…
