Tackling Health Inequities on a Global Scale.
Tackling Health Inequities on a Global Scale
SPH researchers are developing innovative solutions to reduce health inequities and disparities in the US and abroad.
The coronavirus pandemic has shone a glaring light on local, national, and global health inequities that existed long before the first COVID-19 cases emerged.
The pandemic continues to disproportionately impact people of color and low-income populations. People of color are not only at greater risk of contracting the virus, they are also more likely to suffer more extreme physical, mental, and economic consequences.
As the current surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths is expected to continue well into the winter, the need to create sustainable solutions that close the equity gaps in healthcare and food access, economic security, and stable housing becomes more imperative each day.
Many faculty members at the School of Public Health have dedicated their research to understanding and mitigating these inequities that disproportionately impact marginalized populations in the US and across the globe.
The school has identified five strategic research areas of focus which encompass projects that aim to mitigate the multidimensional effects of the pandemic and the health, racial, and economic inequities that will exist beyond the pandemic.
The five identified research areas are health inequities; climate, the planet, and health; infectious diseases; cities and health; and mental and behavioral health.
Julia Raifman, assistant professor of health law, policy & management, has dedicated her research to health inequities and disparities. Much of her work focuses on evaluating state and federal policy responses to COVID-19, and examining how those responses affect health and well-being.
“Structural racism is shaping disparities in exposure to COVID-19 at work and through crowding in homes, disparities in susceptibility to severe disease for those who contract COVID-19, and disparities in access to health care for those who need it,” says Raifman. “It is an opportune moment for change and for conducting research informing policies that may reshape our country to be more just and equitable place where all have the opportunity to live healthfully.”
Shortly after the first wave of COVID-19 reached the US, Raifman led a project with SPH researchers and students to create a COVID-19 US state policy database to track steps each state has taken to curb the spread of the virus. With this database, the team is able to analyze how policies can help the populations most affected by the pandemic, including Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and low-income people.
Raifman has also examined the economic impact of the pandemic. In a study available on medRxiv ahead of peer-reviewed publication, she assessed the relationship between unemployment insurance and food insecurity among people who lost their jobs during the first few months of the pandemic when the federal unemployment insurance supplement was in place. She found that 40.5 percent of people living in households earning less than $75,000 and employed in February 2020 experienced unemployment during this time, and of those who lost their jobs, 31 percent reported food insecurity and 33 percent reported eating less due to financial constraints.
Jasmine Abrams, assistant professor of community health sciences, has also dedicated much of her research to understanding and mitigating health inequities and racial health disparities, both in the US and abroad. Abrams utilizes culture to better understand and reduce health disparities among women of African ancestry, particularly through HIV prevention, sexual health promotion.
“On nearly every indicator of health Black women experience negative outcomes in comparison to women of other racial and ethnic backgrounds,” says Abrams. “Unfortunately, this trend extends globally and that is what inspired my international work.”
Among her global research is a study, published in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, in which Abrams assessed an evidence-based strategy to reduce the high maternal and infant mortality rates among women in Haiti. She explored whether group prenatal care can mitigate these rates in low-resource settings in Haiti. Abrams found that implementation of this type of intervention would require overcoming challenges associated with language, literacy, space, and cultural appropriateness of content.
Abrams is currently conducting research to address the effects of HIV stigma on pregnant women in Haiti. Haitian women are disproportionately impacted by the virus, and experience frequent stigma in the healthcare system, which can lead to victim blaming, denial of care, and reduced HIV screening. For the project, Abrams is developing interventions, including focus groups and trainings, aimed at reducing this stigma among healthcare providers and matrons (traditional birth attendants).
To enable faculty members to continue this research on health inequities and other critical public health challenges, SPH has created a fund to support projects that fall within the identified strategic research areas. This financial support will not only accelerate new and ongoing research, but can help the school hire new faculty who will advance the school’s innovative work.
If you’d like to contribute to this fund, click here. To learn about other opportunities to support SPH, click here to read about the Ten Ways to Give.