ABSTRACT
RESUMO Este estudo objetivou descrever a experiência do Brasil e dos Estados Unidos da América (EUA) em relação aos dados de morbimortalidade por Covid-19, segundo a raça/cor/etnia. Para isso, procurou-se descrever os fatores envolvidos no tratamento e divulgação dos dados de morbimortalidade por essa patologia nos dois países. Foram analisados boletins epidemiológicos divulgados pelo Ministério da Saúde, resultados parciais da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílio (PNAD) Covid-19 realizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) no Brasil e o estado da arte em saúde sobre os impactos da pandemia nos EUA, sob a perspectiva de raça/cor/etnia. Apesar da baixa qualidade da informação em saúde referente à morbimortalidade da população negra por Covid-19, os resultados desvelam iniquidades raciais em saúde para essa doença, ratificando o racismo estrutural/institucional em ambos os países. Como contribuição, enfatiza-se a necessidade de qualificar os dados sobre raça/cor/etnia, relacionando-os com idade, local de moradia, tipo de residência, acesso a saneamento básico, ocupação, entre outros determinantes sociais que, sabidamente, impactam no modo de adoecer e morrer pela Covid-19, a fim de viabilizar estratégias e políticas públicas verdadeiramente promotoras da equidade.
ABSTRACT This study sought to describe the experience of Brazil and the United States of América (USA) in relation to Covid-19 morbimortality data according to race/skin color/ethnicity. Toward this end, it seeks to describe the factors involved in the treatment and dissemination of the morbimortality data for such pathology in the two countries. The analysis includes epidemiological bulletins released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, partial results from Brazil's National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) for Covid-19 collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), and state-of-the-art health data about the impact of the pandemic in the USA, from the perspective of race/skin color/ethnicity. Despite the low quality of health information on Covid-19 morbimortality of black population, the results corroborate racial inequities in health for the disease, confirming the existence of structural and institutional racism in both countries. This article highlights the need to qualify data about race/skin color/ethnicity, by relating them to age, place of residence, type of residence, access to basic sanitation, and occupation, among other social determinants that impact how individuals become ill and die from Covid-19, in order to enact strategies and public policies that truly promote equity.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This article explores the impact of patient and healthcare provider communication (PPC) on the HIV testing behaviors of middle socioeconomic status (SES) Black women in North Carolina. We explore how PPC about STIs and HIV (or the lack thereof) affects the provision of STI/HIV testing by either confirming the need for middle SES Black women to test routinely or potentially deterring women from feeling they need to be tested. METHODS/FINDINGS: After conducting 15 qualitative interviews with middle SES Black women between 25 and 45 years of age, we uncovered the role of patient self-advocacy in promoting HIV testing among middle SES Black women when they communicate with their healthcare providers. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the importance of healthcare providers engaging their middle SES Black female patients in routine discussions about sexual health and sexual risk reduction, regardless of providers' perceptions of their potential STI/HIV risk. We recommend including SES as a variable in data collection and research in order to better understand how social class, race, and gender affect sexual health behavior and the provision of STI and HIV/AIDS prevention to diverse populations.
