“I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color
Objectives: Long-standing racial disparities, particularly between White and Black women, in maternal and birth outcomes necessitate an examination of the factors influencing these disparities. This study aimed to understand the experiences of women of color as they relate to pregnancy and/or birth...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Women's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221123439 |
| _version_ | 1811258216785379328 |
|---|---|
| author | Kierra S Barnett Ashley R Banks Tiffany Morton Christine Sander Maureen Stapleton Deena J Chisolm |
| author_facet | Kierra S Barnett Ashley R Banks Tiffany Morton Christine Sander Maureen Stapleton Deena J Chisolm |
| author_sort | Kierra S Barnett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: Long-standing racial disparities, particularly between White and Black women, in maternal and birth outcomes necessitate an examination of the factors influencing these disparities. This study aimed to understand the experiences of women of color as they relate to pregnancy and/or birth complications to inform policy and strategy to decrease racial and ethnic health disparities. Methods: Six focus groups were conducted with women ( n = 31) who were identified as a woman of color, were 18 years or older, self-identified as having experienced pregnancy or birth complications after 2016, and who spoke English. A focus group guide co-created with the research team, community partners, and peer researchers from the local community was utilized to elicit discussions related to barriers, successes, and existing opportunities to provide equitable care and services to families throughout the perinatal period. An inductive and iterative approach to qualitative analyses of the focus group transcripts was used to identify key themes. Results: The seven themes identified include: lack of knowledge, mental health, communication with providers, support systems, representation, social determinants of health, and discrimination and stigma. Women shared a variety of experiences related to their health care from before pregnancy into their post-partum period, revealing many areas for improvement to extant systems. Conclusion: The inclusion of voices of the populations most deeply affected by health disparities is crucial to understanding how care and services provided can be improved. This analysis suggests the need for change at multiple levels of the health care and social services systems. These experiences provide valuable insight into some of the many struggles and barriers that women of color face during pregnancy and beyond. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:10:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43aa1b0057af40f592069cd1c0f9fa19 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1745-5065 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:10:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-43aa1b0057af40f592069cd1c0f9fa192022-12-22T03:21:51ZengSAGE PublishingWomen's Health1745-50652022-09-011810.1177/17455057221123439“I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of colorKierra S Barnett0Ashley R Banks1Tiffany Morton2Christine Sander3Maureen Stapleton4Deena J Chisolm5Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USACenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USACenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USACenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USACelebrateOne, Columbus, OH, USACenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USAObjectives: Long-standing racial disparities, particularly between White and Black women, in maternal and birth outcomes necessitate an examination of the factors influencing these disparities. This study aimed to understand the experiences of women of color as they relate to pregnancy and/or birth complications to inform policy and strategy to decrease racial and ethnic health disparities. Methods: Six focus groups were conducted with women ( n = 31) who were identified as a woman of color, were 18 years or older, self-identified as having experienced pregnancy or birth complications after 2016, and who spoke English. A focus group guide co-created with the research team, community partners, and peer researchers from the local community was utilized to elicit discussions related to barriers, successes, and existing opportunities to provide equitable care and services to families throughout the perinatal period. An inductive and iterative approach to qualitative analyses of the focus group transcripts was used to identify key themes. Results: The seven themes identified include: lack of knowledge, mental health, communication with providers, support systems, representation, social determinants of health, and discrimination and stigma. Women shared a variety of experiences related to their health care from before pregnancy into their post-partum period, revealing many areas for improvement to extant systems. Conclusion: The inclusion of voices of the populations most deeply affected by health disparities is crucial to understanding how care and services provided can be improved. This analysis suggests the need for change at multiple levels of the health care and social services systems. These experiences provide valuable insight into some of the many struggles and barriers that women of color face during pregnancy and beyond.https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221123439 |
| spellingShingle | Kierra S Barnett Ashley R Banks Tiffany Morton Christine Sander Maureen Stapleton Deena J Chisolm “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color Women's Health |
| title | “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| title_full | “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| title_fullStr | “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| title_short | “I just want us to be heard”: A qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| title_sort | i just want us to be heard a qualitative study of perinatal experiences among women of color |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221123439 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kierrasbarnett ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor AT ashleyrbanks ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor AT tiffanymorton ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor AT christinesander ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor AT maureenstapleton ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor AT deenajchisolm ijustwantustobeheardaqualitativestudyofperinatalexperiencesamongwomenofcolor |