Intersectional Panorama of Black Women's Health in Brazil: An Integrative Literature Review
1
School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2
School of Nursing, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2670
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
black women in Brazil face high maternal mortality, chronic diseases, food insecurity, and violence, exacerbated by structural racism and gender inequalities. despite existing health policies for the black population, there is a lack of evidence-based data, especially in the north and central-west regions. the objective of this study is to map evidence from 2003 to 2025 regarding the health, service access, and social determinants of black women in Brazil through an intersectional perspective.
METHODS:
we conducted an integrative review in six phases following the guidelines of Souza et al. the search occurred from january to may 2025 across databases including PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and BVS. empirical studies with data stratified by race and female gender were included. selection was performed by double-blind reviewers using Rayyan, achieving a kappa of 0.86. quality was assessed using STROBE, CASP, and MMAT tools.
RESULTS:
out of 40 screened records, 23 studies were included. main themes identified were maternal-reproductive health (43%), chronic diseases (17%), and violence (9%). black women exhibited disparities 1.3 to 3.2 times higher in prevalence or rates of maternal syphilis, severe COVID-19, cervical cancer, and homicide, even after socioeconomic adjustments. notably, the north and central-west regions lacked specific investigations, revealing a significant evidence gap.
CONCLUSIONS:
the review confirms deep racial inequities in health linked to the intersection of race, gender, poverty, and territory. it is recommended to fund studies in underrepresented areas, audit the race/color variable in health systems, and include black population health in professional training to dismantle institutional racism within the brazilian healthcare system.
black women in Brazil face high maternal mortality, chronic diseases, food insecurity, and violence, exacerbated by structural racism and gender inequalities. despite existing health policies for the black population, there is a lack of evidence-based data, especially in the north and central-west regions. the objective of this study is to map evidence from 2003 to 2025 regarding the health, service access, and social determinants of black women in Brazil through an intersectional perspective.
METHODS:
we conducted an integrative review in six phases following the guidelines of Souza et al. the search occurred from january to may 2025 across databases including PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and BVS. empirical studies with data stratified by race and female gender were included. selection was performed by double-blind reviewers using Rayyan, achieving a kappa of 0.86. quality was assessed using STROBE, CASP, and MMAT tools.
RESULTS:
out of 40 screened records, 23 studies were included. main themes identified were maternal-reproductive health (43%), chronic diseases (17%), and violence (9%). black women exhibited disparities 1.3 to 3.2 times higher in prevalence or rates of maternal syphilis, severe COVID-19, cervical cancer, and homicide, even after socioeconomic adjustments. notably, the north and central-west regions lacked specific investigations, revealing a significant evidence gap.
CONCLUSIONS:
the review confirms deep racial inequities in health linked to the intersection of race, gender, poverty, and territory. it is recommended to fund studies in underrepresented areas, audit the race/color variable in health systems, and include black population health in professional training to dismantle institutional racism within the brazilian healthcare system.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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