Preterm and low birthweight birth in the United States: Black midwives speak of causality, prevention, and healing.
health inequities
low birthweight
midwives
preterm birth
Journal
Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)
ISSN: 1523-536X
Titre abrégé: Birth
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8302042
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
09 2022
09 2022
Historique:
revised:
30
11
2021
received:
23
07
2021
accepted:
03
02
2022
pubmed:
12
3
2022
medline:
16
8
2022
entrez:
11
3
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) are more common among Black infants than white infants in the United States. Although multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain elevated rates of PTB and LBW, the perspectives of Black midwives who serve Black communities are largely missing from the literature. Using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample of midwives (n = 29), we elicited midwives' perceptions of PTB and LBW causation, as well as insights on culturally congruent strategies for prevention. We used consensus coding and reciprocal ethnography to increase the rigor of our analyses. Midwives identified three intersecting and predisposing root causes: (1) systemic racism; (2) the epigenetic legacy of enslavement; and (3) ongoing cultural loss. In response to these stressors, midwives recommended variants of two additional themes-(4) community building; and (5) culturally centered care-as essential to reversing mortality trends among Black babies. Midwives' perspectives, which are supported by relevant literature, provide critical insights that should inform both research and policy aimed at promoting birth justice in the United States and beyond.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) are more common among Black infants than white infants in the United States. Although multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain elevated rates of PTB and LBW, the perspectives of Black midwives who serve Black communities are largely missing from the literature.
METHODS
Using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample of midwives (n = 29), we elicited midwives' perceptions of PTB and LBW causation, as well as insights on culturally congruent strategies for prevention. We used consensus coding and reciprocal ethnography to increase the rigor of our analyses.
RESULTS
Midwives identified three intersecting and predisposing root causes: (1) systemic racism; (2) the epigenetic legacy of enslavement; and (3) ongoing cultural loss. In response to these stressors, midwives recommended variants of two additional themes-(4) community building; and (5) culturally centered care-as essential to reversing mortality trends among Black babies.
DISCUSSION
Midwives' perspectives, which are supported by relevant literature, provide critical insights that should inform both research and policy aimed at promoting birth justice in the United States and beyond.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
526-539Informations de copyright
© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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