Data Equity Coalition: Community Conversations on Racism and Health
Report Publish Date: January 2023
This report describes conversations with community members in Durham, N.C., about the intersection of racism and health. The goal was to inform CDC health surveys.
Primary Takeaways
- Participants in the conversations suggested the following:
- Center structural determinants of health instead of individual behaviors and risk factors.
- Dedicate government funding for health equity to community needs, particularly organizers already doing the work.
- Investigate the ways racism causes chronic, consistent stress and how that contributes to racial health disparities.
- Include people who are less connected to care, such as those experiencing homelessness, in surveys.
- Improve the representation of people from marginalized communities in research and public health data.
- Create metrics that focus on assets, rather than deficits.
Overview and Objectives
As part of the Data Equity Coalition Project, DataWorks NC helps to influence national dialogue on racism and health. DataWorks wanted to talk to community members in Durham, N.C., to help identify questions about racism that could be included in the CDC’s surveys for the Behavioral Rick Factor Surveillance System, or BRFSS, and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, or PRAMS.
Hypothesis or Approach
DataWorks NC hosted the conversations. They recruited about half (11) of the 24 participants from the Partnership for a Healthy Durham. Half (12) of the participants were leaders of community organizations. Twenty were from historically marginalized communities of Durham.
How This Influences Change
Including meaningful questions about racism in national public health surveys could help researchers and policymakers better understand the impact of structural racism on health and wellbeing.
Grant Details
Research: Go Deeper
DataWorks NC is one of 5 organizations in the United States participating in the Data Equity Coalition Project. The main purpose of this project is to influence the national dialogue on racism and health, centering the concerns of Durham’s communities of color, low income, and historical disinvestment. Working closely with community partners, DataWorks aims to identify meaningful questions about racism to include in two national, CDC survey efforts:
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
The Durham Community Health Assessment, administered by the Durham County Health Department, has repeatedly shown racism to be a primary issue of concern for Durham community members. Durham’s long-standing coalition of health-focused community organizations and members, the Partnership for a Healthy Durham, established a Racial Equity Task Force and adopted racial equity principles in response to the 2017 Community Health Assessment results as well as frequently voiced community concerns.
DataWorks hosted three community conversations to discuss the intersection of racism and health, and we recruited participants largely from the Partnership for a Healthy Durham.
DataWorks NC, 2023
Research Team
This study and report was conducted and created by the following:
- DataWorks NC
Similar Research to Explore
Structural Racism and Health
Addressing Methodological Issues in Multiracial and Multiethnic Data
Implications and Insights on Federal Revisions to Race and Ethnicity Data Collection
National Public Health Dashboards: Protocol for a Scoping Review
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