Dr. Olorunsaiye and Team Explore Perinatal Experiences of Black Women During COVID-19

After speaking to almost two dozen Black women about their pregnancy journeys during the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of researchers led by Dr. Comfort Z. Olorunsaiye, associate professor of Public Health, found that the pandemic profoundly affected Black women's perinatal experiences in multiple ways. Throughout the conversations, the researchers analyzed three central themes: the emotional impact of COVID-19; experiences of COVID-19 illness during pregnancy and postpartum; and the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on perinatal experiences.

" Pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for all women. However, the pandemic introduced additional layers of complexity for Black women," Olorunsaiye said. " As someone who is trained in maternal child health,  I was interested in what was going on in the healthcare system, especially when there was so much conflicting information being released."

The research team interviewed 22 Black women who experienced at least one pregnancy from March 2020 to May 2023, received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine during the perinatal period; and resided in Greater Philadelphia. The team included Samira Ouedraogo '21, '23MPH; Dejenaba Gordon, a former professor of Public Health at Arcadia who is now at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Hannah M. Degge of the University of Nottingham (U.K.); Augustus Osborne of Njala University (Sierra Leone); and Khadijat Adeleye of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

They found that the women interviewed expressed a spectrum of emotions about contracting COVID-19 during the perinatal period. On one hand, several participants said they did not think contracting the disease would be life-threatening and therefore displayed mild concern, while others expressed grave concern about themselves or their baby coming down with the virus. Reasons for concern included pre-existing health conditions and the proliferation of misinformation about the virus and vaccines. Several of the women contracted COVID-19 during or shortly after their pregnancy. Symptoms ranged from mild to severe, as did the added anxiety because of the infection.

The researchers also heard from the women that many felt robbed of having a traditional pregnancy experience because of the pandemic. Whether it was having to miss out on support from family, a baby shower or other ritual because of lockdown restrictions, in-person visits becoming telehealth appointments, or other mitigation measures, these changes intensified existing disparities in maternal healthcare and social support for Black women, according to the researchers.

" Even if it's not a full-blown pandemic, there's going to be another type of crisis in the future," Olorunsaiye said. " So what do we take away from the participants? What do they want to see? What are the structures within Black communities that are assets and strengths that can be leveraged in future emergencies?"

Olorunsaiye and her team shared several suggestions to address these disparities:

• Develop community-led response teams to support marginalized population groups during health emergencies.
• Expand community-based doula programs led by Black perinatal workers who can provide culturally competent advocacy and support.
• Deploy mobile maternal health units in underserved areas to ensure continued access to prenatal care, COVID-19 testing, and vaccinations.
• Disseminate accurate, culturally relevant health information and build trust in public health response through Black midwives, mothers, and community leaders.
• Improve digital literacy among Black women, particularly in navigating telehealth platforms and accessing online health resources.
• Advocate for government and policymakers to commit to structural reforms that address the root causes of maternal health inequities, including racism, socioeconomic disadvantage, and underrepresentation in healthcare leadership.

"There is the need for ongoing community engagement with populations that are racialized," Gordon, the former Arcadia Public Health Professor, said. "Importantly, as indicated by participants, such outreach should come from people with shared values and lived experiences-people that the community relates to and trusts. Moving forward, I hope that there is intentional representation for the delivery of healthcare services and for the dissemination of public health education that is specific to racialized communities."

The study, which is published in Nursing Inquiry, is the third in a series of papers by Dr. Olorunsaiye and team examining the impact of COVID-19 on Black women. The other papers from the study can be found here and here. Arcadia's Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action supported this research.