Improving Black women’s health and wellbeing in the UK through the development of an evidence base

Whilst there is a large and growing evidence base on Black women’s health and wellbeing in the USA, the information on Black women’s health and wellbeing in the UK is limited and disparate. There are similarities between Black women's health in the USA and the UK, but also specificities based on the history, geography, migration patterns, housing circumstances and differences in health and social care services and structural racism. The aim of this proposal is to develop a robust evidence base on Black women’s health and wellbeing in the UK. The proposed programme of work comprises three parts: 1) Scoping review, 2) Development of an intersectionality-informed protocol for an empirical study on Black women’s health and wellbeing undertaking secondary data analysis on existing cohort studies; and 3) Undertaking a feasibility study on establishing a Black Women’s Health and Wellbeing Research Centre in the UK. Such a Centre will ensure that the evidence on Black women’s health and wellbeing can be brought together in one place and is accessible to future researchers, policymakers and practitioners. For the purposes of this proposal Black women are defined as African, Caribbean and Black Mixed Heritage women living in the UK.