Most recent public comments by Ciarosalie PierreKernizan https://nowcomment.com/users/105957 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2448165 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2448165 The main challenge we faced throughout this project was figuring out how to display important information in a way that was digestible for everyone in our intended audience, not just those who are planning on going into the medical or psychological fields. It was also difficult consolidating our information in a way that would get our message across without bombarding our audience with too much information at once. There are so many things that we wanted to talk about and picking out the information that would make the most sense to our audience and message was much harder than we anticipated. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 23:03:32 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2448149 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2448149 An individual’s race should not be a determining factor in the medical treatment they receive, nor their health outcomes. Given the amount of wealth and industrialization there is in the United States, as well as the technological and medical advancements that have been made in this country, there is no reason why pregnancy and childbirth shouldn’t be safe for everyone. However, safe and equal treatment is out of reach for so many Black women across the country. Maternal mortality rates in the United States are some of the highest among developed nations, and are particularly high among Black mothers, who died from pregnancy related complications at two to three times the rate of White women (CDC 2019). Therefore, we felt that Black maternal health was not only an important topic to discuss, but it is also important to understand the underlying prejudice and racism involved in the medical experiences and health outcomes of Black women. As this project was intended to be part of an Instagram campaign on Black Maternal Health, our intended audience was people in their late teens and early twenties. Not only is this the general age group of our respective Instagram followers, but this is also around the time in which people start thinking about their futures – whether it is having children or deciding to work in various job fields (the primary focus being the medical field and public health). In beginning to think about having families in the future (if we so choose), it is important to consider the various factors working against Black women (biased physicians, limited access to resources, etc.) and be able to make informed decisions about our health. As for those looking to go into the medical field or public health, being aware of these biases and disadvantages is an important first step to making a difference and changing these outcomes into some that are more positive. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 23:03:13 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447894 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447894 Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:07:04 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447893 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447893 Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:06:50 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447892 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447892 I think that it is interesting that non-Black physicians view Black patients as less trustworthy, more argumentative, and less likely to listen to their recommendations because Black patients view non-Black physicians the same way. The Black community has a long history of being mistreated by health professionals, with the most famous example being the Tuskegee experiment. Over the course of 40 years, the “participants” of this experiments were lied to and prevented from seeking life-saving treatment for syphilis or its complications, resulting in the death of over 100 Black men. This active denial of treatment and deception on the part of the researchers and physicians in Tuskegee has played a significant role in the lack of trust towards non-Black physicians, which leads to the lack of trust non-Black physicians have towards Black patients, furthering the vicious cycle of mistrust. The presence of these racial disparities, however, do not lie solely on the biases of health professionals, but rather the deep-rooted narratives about the Black body, as well as systemic racism (Trawalter et al. 2020). Increasing patient trust is not the answer to reducing these disparities, but rather challenging these narratives and dismantling systemic racism. Also, reducing physician biases alone will not increase patient trust – however, reconciliation for a long history of abuse may aid in moving this process along (Trawalter et al. 2020). Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:04:38 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447891 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447891 Physicians tend to display implicit preferences for White patients over Black patients, and more frequently associate White patients with being cooperative and compliant. Thus, biased physicians are more inclined to assume an authoritative role and exert more control during interactions with Black patients (Hagiwara et al. 2013). Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:09:38 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447890 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447890 Non-Black physicians with higher levels of implicit racial bias have larger physician-patient talk time ratios than physicians with lower implicit bias levels, indicating that physicians with more negative implicit racial attitudes talked more during a medical visit than those with less negative racial attitudes (Hagiwara et al. 2013). In dominating the conversation, physicians are unable to properly listen to the needs of Black patients, nor are they able to work alongside patients in making decisions about their health care. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:03:12 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447889 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447889 Alongside the biased health professionals, the invisibility and stereotypes of Black women play a role in their health as well. In this sense, invisibility refers to “the lack of individuation of or lack of differentiation between group members” (Sesko & Biernat 2009). A study by Sesko & Biernat (2009) found that the faces of Black women tend to go unnoticed (less likely to be identified correctly) and their voices unheard (more likely to have statements misidentified), relative to White women and Black and White men. Also, as previously mentioned, Black women are often stereotyped as being more “masculine” (strong, assertive, independent) and less “feminine” (emotional, passive, dependent) than White women (Sesko & Biernat 2009). What does this have to do with treatment and health outcomes you might ask? The interaction between the invisibility of Black women and the stereotype of being “masculine” aids in the perpetuation of differences in pain assessment and treatment. By seeing Black women as masculine, it is implied that Black women have higher pain tolerances than White women. Black women being “invisible”, as well as being viewed as masculine, allows for physicians not to take reports of pain or discomfort from Black women as seriously, and so does the hierarchical structure of doctor → nurse → patient, as those higher up on the chain are less likely to take those lower down seriously. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:02:11 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447888 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447888 This leads to the racial disparities we see in pain assessment and treatment, as well as accuracy in treatment recommendations (Hoffman et al. 2016) Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:08:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447886 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447886 Environmental racism is another example of this lack of protection of Black neighborhoods. Environmental racism refers to the ways in which communities of color, particularly Black communities in regard to the Unites States, face more harm from environmental factors than White communities, from proximity to power factors and plants to higher exposure to emissions from mobile pollution sources like trucks (Berkovitz 2020). Black neighborhoods typically have lower property values, making the land in these neighborhoods cheaper for industrial companies to purchase, resulting in the greater pollution we see in these areas. Due to the lack of political power among the Black community, as well as the lack of empathy from those who do have the power to make change, these harmful sources of emissions and pollution are concentrated in communities of color with less political power to fight against them. These large amounts of emissions and air pollution contribute to the adverse health outcomes and the health disparities we see between Black and White Americans (Mikati et al. 2018). Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:59:39 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447883 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447883 People are less likely to support and protect Black neighborhoods (Bonam et al. 2016). This is due to the fact that the physical spaces associated with Black Americans have been subject to negative racial stereotypes, such as “impoverished, crime-ridden, and dirty”. This leads to outgroups feeling less connected to Black spaces and therefore less likely to support and protect them (Bonam et al. 2016). Example: It was found that White people reported less opposition to building a chemical plant near a Black neighborhood than a White neighborhood (Bonam et al. 2016) Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:57:11 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447881 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447881 A study conducted by Orchard & Price (2017) found that the Black-White gap in birth outcomes is larger in counties with the highest levels of racial prejudice. This is true when looking at both implicit and explicit racial prejudice, but the strength of the relationship between racial prejudice and the Black-White gap is strongest when looking at explicit racial prejudice (Orchard & Price 2017). Since these biases are so prevalent in the communities in which these health professionals live, they are constantly surrounded by them, making it difficult for them not to bring these biases into their work. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:54:27 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447876 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447876 Another factor influencing the lack of supermarkets in Black neighborhoods is the negative stereotypes that plague these areas. This lack of supermarkets doesn't allow Black residents access to healthy and affordable food, leading to a lack of proper nutrition, which is another contributor to adverse Black health outcomes. Therefore, predominantly Black neighborhoods tend to be food deserts, having significantly less supermarkets and lower access to healthy foods than neighborhoods with a lower proportion of Black residents (Gordon et al. 2011) Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:51:13 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447868 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447868 We as a society often blame victims for their circumstances. The Protestant Work Ethic says that hard work is rewarded (Wilkins & Kaiser 2014). Therefore, if you are disadvantaged, people tend to believe that your lack of opportunity and access is due to a lack of hard work, making people less emphatic towards that group. However, due to systemic racism, everyone starts off on different playing fields, so “hard work” looks different for everyone, and different groups have more opportunities and access to the tools to be successful than others. Why do we blame victims for their circumstances? We tend to be less empathetic towards outgroup members (Hudson et al. 2019). Therefore, those who able to make differences in improving the circumstances of these groups, those in power, are less empathetic to victims’ circumstances. In regard to the disadvantages faced my various minority groups, this lack of empathy is due, in part, to the stereotypes that White people have for minorities. The general stereotypes of Black and Latinos as being lazy, incompetent, and unintelligent make it easier for those in power to place blame on these groups for their shortcomings, as opposed to on the system that is working against them. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:46:31 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447865 https://nowcomment.com/documents/271378?scroll_to=2447865 People tend to blame Black mothers for their lack of access, and even those who do feel sorry for them (a form of empathy) may still think it’s because of the individual choices they made. However, the lack of access afforded to Black mothers in these poorer neighborhoods, as well as the lack of empathy given to Black mothers under these conditions, have roots in racism. Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:46:23 -0400