Impact of an integrated anti-racism, community mobilization, and infant mortality prevention program on community racial attitudes and health status

Health disparities are rooted in fundamental social inequalities, but many communities are challenged by the magnitude of addressing social and structural components of health or documenting how contextual factors influence proximal health outcomes. Over a period of seven years (and ongoing), the Genesee County REACH 2010 partnership promoted education and health promotion programs, community mobilization, healthcare advocacy, and other activities that addressed historical, cultural, and structural aspects of racism. These activities are likely to have contributed significantly to an historic low rate of African American and overall infant mortality in the county. An evaluation was undertaken to document the personal and community-level impact engendered by the partnership through its influence on racial attitudes, community capacity for problem-solving, and system changes directed to reducing the harmful impact of racial inequities on family and infant health. As part of this evaluation, the partnership conducted a community survey to evaluate: a) how anti-racism and healthcare improvement efforts may have influenced perceptions and experiences of racism; and b) how racism-related factors may be associated with general and reproductive health outcomes. This presentation will describe survey findings which confirm that REACH participants had different racial attitudes, experiences, and self-reported health than respondents from comparison counties. The presentation will also report the results of various models to test proposed pathways and mechanisms linking structural and psychosocial factors to general and reproductive health. The results of this survey complement vital statistics and provide a more comprehensive assessment of risk and protective factors for African American infant mortality.