Edmonton's Race-based Data Table: A municipal approach to addressing systemic racism through the collection and use of disaggregated, race-based data.

Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have drawn nationwide attention to systemic racism as a serious threat to public health in Canada. One promising approach to address such racism is through developing and implementing standardized procedures for collecting and using disaggregated, race-based data. In this commentary, we summarize why this approach is necessary to address systemic racism in Canada, and highlight municipal actions being taken in Edmonton, Alberta, to move this approach forward. In 2021, a Race-based Data Table, comprising 24 institutions and organizations affiliated with health, education, and policing systems, was formed in Edmonton. It aimed to engage practitioners, systems representatives, academics, and community members in collective advocacy around accessing race-based data to better understand and address disparate health outcomes associated with COVID-19 for racialized communities. Further, the Table intends to co-create a charter and toolkit outlining best practices for ethical, race-based data collection and use with local stakeholders and knowledge users. In documenting the beginning stages of the Table, and in evaluating its ongoing progress, we contribute to national conversations regarding the need for government institutions and other organizations to consistently collect and use race-based data as a means of increasing transparency and accountability in their actions.

RéSUMé: De récents événements, comme la pandémie de COVID-19, ont attiré l'attention du pays sur la grave menace que pose le racisme systémique pour la santé publique au Canada. Une approche prometteuse pour aborder ce racisme consiste à élaborer et à appliquer des méthodes standardisées pour la collecte et l'utilisation de données désagrégées fondées sur la race. Dans ce commentaire, nous résumons les raisons pour lesquelles cette approche est nécessaire pour aborder le racisme systémique au Canada et nous présentons des actions posées au palier municipal à Edmonton, en Alberta, pour faire avancer les choses. En 2021, une « table des données fondées sur la race ¼ composée de 24 établissements et organismes affiliés aux systèmes de santé, d'éducation et de maintien de l'ordre a été créée à Edmonton. Elle veut favoriser une action collective des praticiens, des représentants des systèmes, des universitaires et des résidents, articulée autour de l'accès aux données fondées sur la race, afin de mieux comprendre et de mieux aborder les résultats cliniques disparates associés à la COVID-19 dans les communautés racisées. Cette table veut aussi cocréer une charte et une trousse d'outils définissant des pratiques exemplaires de collecte et d'utilisation de données éthiques, fondées sur la race, avec les parties prenantes et les utilisateurs de connaissances locaux. En documentant les débuts de cette table et en évaluant ses progrès au fil du temps, nous contribuons aux conversations nationales sur la nécessité, pour les institutions gouvernementales et d'autres organismes, de collecter et d'utiliser systématiquement des données fondées sur la race pour accroître la transparence et la responsabilisation dans leurs actions.

Intersecting Expectations when Expecting: Pregnancy-Related Weight Stigma in Women of Colour.

Weight stigma is a social justice issue that can lead to weight-based discrimination and mistreatment. In pregnancy, emerging evidence has highlighted that weight stigma predominantly affects individuals who have larger bodies and is associated with postpartum depression and avoidance of healthcare. Racial and ethnic background will influence perceptions of, and responses to, weight stigma and therefore it is necessary to ensure diverse voices are represented in our understanding of weight stigma. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten women who were within one year postpartum; nine identified as Black or African American and one as Hawaiian. Thematic analysis led to identification of three themes: (1) sources of weight stigma and their response to it, (2) support systems to overcome weight stigma, and (3) intersectional experiences. Women reported that sources of weight stigma included unsolicited comments made about their weight often coming from strangers or healthcare professionals that resulted in emotional distress. Support systems identified were family members and partners who encouraged them to not focus on negative remarks made about weight. Intersectional accounts included comparing their bodies to White women, suggesting that they may carry their weight differently. Women shared that, although they felt immense pressure to lose weight quickly postpartum, motherhood and childcare was their utmost priority. These findings inform further prospective examination of the implications of weight stigma in pregnancy among diverse populations, as well as inform inclusive public health strategies to mitigate weight stigma.