From maternal and mental health to pain and medical care, Black women face major disparities when compared with white women
Chicago TribuneMay 12, 2021
Statistics show that Black women have worse outcomes during pregnancy and postpartum, are more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, and have higher rates of risk factors for heart disease in their 20s and 30s.
Public health officials, doctors and researchers have sounded the alarm, and some steps have been taken to decrease the disparities and work toward health equity. For instance, Gov.
Here, we share some of our coverage on health issues affecting Black women. Follow the links to read more about each topic and to see what people are doing about it.
Maternal health
The Illinois Department of Public Health’s recently released Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report showed that Black women died from pregnancy-related conditions three times more often than white women. And according to a study in the
At the end of last year, the Illinois Senate’s Public Health and
Breast cancer
Recent research focuses on inferior screening as one of the reasons
Where you live also has an impact. A
Cervical cancer
Equal Hope, a health equity nonprofit network of health care providers, community leaders and advocates has set its sights on eliminating cervical cancer disparities and ultimately eradicating the disease in the
Heart disease
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in the
Pain
A Northwestern Medicine study found that Black and Latina women report more pain postpartum than white women, yet they receive less opioid medication in the hospital and are less likely to receive a prescription for an opioid at postpartum discharge. Previous studies have found that minority patients with migraines and long bone fractures receive less pain medication than white patients.
Mental health
Faced with the additional stressors of the pandemic and social injustice, mental health problems also seem to be on the rise. And this comes at a time when a relatively small number of mental health professionals are Black.
Doctors
Black Chicagoans say doctors often don’t believe them, dismiss their concerns or don’t fully explain their options. Racial prejudices might be explicit, or well-meaning medical providers might act differently toward Black patients because of implicit bias, when their actions are automatic or unconscious.
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