Pilot Project Goal: Investigate the Transportation Needs of Pregnant Black women and identify factors that may contribute to the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes
Black women are disproportionately affected by maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity compared to other women in the United States. There is a gap in knowledge about how transportation influences the experience of care during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the transportation needs of pregnant Black women and identify the factors that may contribute to the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Relying on a community Based Participatory Research approach, mixed methods – interviews, ride-alongs, and secondary data analysis – formed the basis for a better understand the transportation needs of Black women in Western MA and lay the foundation for future studies. The information generated by this study is focused on developing interventions and suggesting solutions to transportation issues as it relates to accessing maternal healthcare facilities for Black pregnant women. This project is a new interdisciplinary collaboration between the College of Engineering, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, and the School of Public Health & Health Sciences. We trained one graduate student and one undergraduate student through the proposed research.
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