Experiences of Racism in Health Care and Medical Mistrust Shape Cancer Prevention and Control Behaviors Among Black Residents of Black Hawk County, Iowa: a Qualitative Study.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2025, v. 12, no. 6: Experiences of Racism in Health Care and Medical Mistrust Shape Cancer Prevention and Control Behaviors Among Black Residents of Black Hawk County, Iowa: a Qualitative Study.
• Journal Article:
  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
• Personal Author:
  Williams, Ashley N T ; VanArsdale, Angela ; Hirschey, Rachel ; Askelson, Natoshia ; Nash, Sarah H
• Description:
  Non-Hispanic Black Iowans have substantially higher incidence of and mortality from cancer than their non-Hispanic White (NHW) counterparts in all but the oldest age groups; rates are particularly high in Black Hawk County, which contains the city of Waterloo, a highly segregated city with a documented history of redlining and distinct racial differences in the social drivers of health.
  
  To gather perspectives on race, racism, healthcare, and engagement with cancer prevention and control behaviors, among Black individuals living in Black Hawk County, Iowa.
  
  We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals (10 male, 10 female), questions included experiences in healthcare and feelings towards the healthcare system, trust of the healthcare system, experiences of racism or other perceived biases within healthcare, and how experiences of racism/bias and/or feelings towards the healthcare system impact desire or ability to participate in cancer prevention and control activities.
  
  Almost all interviewees reported both positive and negative experiences in healthcare. Nine themes emerged from analysis of the interviews: everyday racism and racism in healthcare, medical mistrust, need for more Black healthcare professionals, communication with healthcare professionals, need to break down cultural stigma around cancer, need and desire for community education around health and cancer, ability to choose, self-advocacy, and social support.
  
  There are substantial barriers for Black individuals engaging with cancer prevention and control behaviors in Iowa. Multi-level interventions are needed to address structural, healthcare facility, and individual-level barriers to care; interventions may build on existing resiliencies within the community.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Black or African American
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Neoplasms
  • Qualitative Research
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Racism
  • cultural stigma
  • Midwest
  • cancer screening
• Source:
  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2025, v. 12, no. 6
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02199-3
• ISSN:
  2197-3792 ; 2196-8837
• Pubmed ID:
  39379789
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11975716
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  3P30CA086862/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U48 DP006872/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; P30 CA086862/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; K23 MD015719/MD/NIMHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; K23MD015719/MD/NIMHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; K23MD015719/MD/NIMHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; 3P30CA086862/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa
• Pages in Document:
  4043-4052 (16 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  12
• Issue:
  6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261991/cdc_261991_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 336.77 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:134ce6fe5710ede4bd7515f926919e8b797838c97674e9dfc0ab50ced95b7a9de812455be987b439a20429bd65a57e7c705fe26d3c7044b5cc049d46e5c0b232