Date of Graduation
Summer 8-12-2022
Document Access
Project/Capstone - Global access
Degree Name
Master of Public Health (MPH)
College/School
School of Nursing and Health Professions
First Advisor
Monica De La Cruz
Abstract
Adverse birth outcomes for both the parent and the child disproportionately affect people of color. Evidence demonstrates that one of the ways to mitigate these negative consequences is through the utilization of a doula, a trained birth companion that is not a medical provider but whose role it is to physically and emotionally support the patient through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Community-based doula programs, where the doula is of the same cultural background as the client, are particularly effective in improving birth outcomes in communities of color by providing culturally competent care and helping to navigate a healthcare system that continues to demonstrate the pervasiveness of institutionalized racism. Despite their efficacy, community-based doula programs face a number of challenges, including funding constraints, ongoing COVID-19 disruptions to care, and a lack of public awareness about the benefit and availability of doula services.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Maria Margaret, "No One Should Have to Give Birth Alone: An Analysis of the Efficacy of Community-based Doula Programs Serving Ethnic Minorities in San Francisco" (2022). Master's Projects and Capstones. 1439.
https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1439
Included in
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Community Health Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Interprofessional Education Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons, Nursing Midwifery Commons, Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Public Health and Community Nursing Commons, Quality Improvement Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Reproductive and Urinary Physiology Commons, Social Justice Commons, Women's Health Commons, Women's Studies Commons
