Structural racism and iron deficiency anaemia

Half a billion women of reproductive age are anaemic worldwide; iron deficiency is the most common cause. Anaemia in pregnancy is a risk to the woman and her child in the present and in the future. Anaemia is not equally distributed by “race”. The gardener's tale allegory, devised by one of us (CPJ), provides an instructive framework to examine the impact of racism on iron deficiency anaemia. Rich and poor soils are a metaphor for structural racism, which results in differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by “race”.

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