A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States

Cesarean birth is the most performed surgical procedure in the United States (U.S.), impacting 1.3 million women yearly. This procedure is associated with adverse health complications and increased costs. Although Black women are the most likely to experience cesarean birth, there is a paucity of re...

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Main Authors: Chelse Spinner, Lorenzo N. Hopper, Sharon Watson, Janaka B. Lewis, Michael Dulin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Health Equity
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29944694.2025.2541620
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author Chelse Spinner
Lorenzo N. Hopper
Sharon Watson
Janaka B. Lewis
Michael Dulin
author_facet Chelse Spinner
Lorenzo N. Hopper
Sharon Watson
Janaka B. Lewis
Michael Dulin
author_sort Chelse Spinner
collection DOAJ
description Cesarean birth is the most performed surgical procedure in the United States (U.S.), impacting 1.3 million women yearly. This procedure is associated with adverse health complications and increased costs. Although Black women are the most likely to experience cesarean birth, there is a paucity of research explaining why this disparity exists. We conducted a scoping review informed by the Public Health Critical Race praxis to identify and synthesize research on the factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the U.S. PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched for studies that evaluated risk and protective factors for cesarean birth among Black women. Thirty-four articles met inclusion criteria. Individual, community, and organizational-level factors were associated with cesarean births among Black women. The observed factors were sub-classified as clinical or non-clinical. Gaps in the literature included lack of information on intrapersonal and structural factors and a scarcity of studies informed by an anti-racist praxis. Research should operationalize race and identify racial disparities in cesarean birth as a quality improvement metric in obstetric care. This review highlights existing evidence on racial disparities in cesarean birth, identifies multi-level determinants, and encourages the development of culturally responsive interventions to promote maternal health equity.
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spelling doaj-art-a0a2d4e6258f445c86bfa294ceb02eb92025-08-20T03:41:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Health Equity2994-46942025-07-012110.1080/29944694.2025.2541620A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United StatesChelse Spinner0Lorenzo N. Hopper1Sharon Watson2Janaka B. Lewis3Michael Dulin4Department of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USADepartment of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USADepartment of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USADepartment of English, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USADepartment of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USACesarean birth is the most performed surgical procedure in the United States (U.S.), impacting 1.3 million women yearly. This procedure is associated with adverse health complications and increased costs. Although Black women are the most likely to experience cesarean birth, there is a paucity of research explaining why this disparity exists. We conducted a scoping review informed by the Public Health Critical Race praxis to identify and synthesize research on the factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the U.S. PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched for studies that evaluated risk and protective factors for cesarean birth among Black women. Thirty-four articles met inclusion criteria. Individual, community, and organizational-level factors were associated with cesarean births among Black women. The observed factors were sub-classified as clinical or non-clinical. Gaps in the literature included lack of information on intrapersonal and structural factors and a scarcity of studies informed by an anti-racist praxis. Research should operationalize race and identify racial disparities in cesarean birth as a quality improvement metric in obstetric care. This review highlights existing evidence on racial disparities in cesarean birth, identifies multi-level determinants, and encourages the development of culturally responsive interventions to promote maternal health equity.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29944694.2025.2541620Cesarean birthracial disparitiesanti-racist praxis
spellingShingle Chelse Spinner
Lorenzo N. Hopper
Sharon Watson
Janaka B. Lewis
Michael Dulin
A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
Journal of Health Equity
Cesarean birth
racial disparities
anti-racist praxis
title A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
title_full A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
title_fullStr A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
title_full_unstemmed A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
title_short A scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among Black women in the United States
title_sort scoping review of risk and protective factors associated with cesarean birth among black women in the united states
topic Cesarean birth
racial disparities
anti-racist praxis
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29944694.2025.2541620
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