Josephine Etowa
Biographic Data
| ID | 92899 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Josephine Etowa |
| GIVEN NAMES | Josephine |
| FAMILY NAME | Etowa |
| SIGNATURE | ETOWA J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ottawa |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2019-7958 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 55 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The development and implementation of an innovative community-based intervention to strengthen community capacity for HIV prevention and care among Canadians of African Caribbean and Black (ACB) women…
African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) women are overrepresented among new HIV diagnoses due to social and structural factors. This study seeks to create, implement, and evaluate a community-based peer-led intervention to improve access to HIV prevention and care for ACB women in Canada. This multisite, five-year project, using community-based participatory research, implementation science and evaluation frameworks, will be implemented in five non-i…
Use of a Peer Equity Navigator Intervention to Increase Access to Covid-19 Vaccination Among African, Caribbean and Black Communities in Canada
African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities face increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, coupled with significant barriers to vaccine acceptance and uptake. Addressing these challenges requires innovative, multifaceted strategies. Peer-led interventions, grounded in critical health literacy (CHL) and critical racial literacy (CRL), and integrating collaborative equity learning processes, can enhance community capacity, empowerment, and he…
Everyday racism experiences, healthcare access, and self-rated health
The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) People in Canada
Factors associated with self-rated health in Black Canadians
Our findings underscore the importance of improving the social determinants of health as a conduit to improving the general health status and the quality of life of Black Canadians. Results revealed that Black Canadians may be demonstrating high levels of resilience in circumventing their current social circumstances and structural disadvantages to live the best quality of life. Understanding sociodemographic and socio-structural barriers that Bl…
A Manifesto for transformative action on HIV among Black communities in Canada
Epistemic racism in the health professions
Systemic racism within health care is increasingly garnering critical attention, but to date attention to the racism experienced by health professionals themselves has been scant. In Canada, anti-Black racism may be embodied in structures, policies, institutional practices and interpersonal interactions. Epistemic racism is an aspect of systemic racism wherein the knowledge claims, ways of knowing and 'knowers' themselves are constructed as inval…
Correlates of Casual Sex Amidst Vulnerability to HIV Among ACB Heterosexual Men in Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario Canada
Global Food Insecurity and African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Populations During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Community perspectives on addressing and responding to HIV-testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) people in Ontario, Cana…
CBPR, co-led by community members, is an important strategy for identifying the multi-level individual, interpersonal, community, institutional and structural factors that increase HIV vulnerability in ACB communities, notably anti-Black systemic racism. Study findings suggest the need for targeted community-based strategies and strategies aimed at reducing health system barriers to testing and care
Immigrant generational status and the uptake of HIV screening services among heterosexual men of African descent in Canada
HIV prevention policies may need not only prioritize first-generation immigrants, but the wellbeing of their descendants as well. This could be achieved by implementing programs that will enhance second-generation immigrants' use of HIV screening services. Additionally, HIV educational programs would be of relevance and especially so as respondents with good knowledge of HIV transmission consistently demonstrated higher likelihood of testing for …
De-problematizing masculinity among heterosexual African, Caribbean, and Black male youth and men
A positive view of masculinity among ACB heterosexual men and youth could support future practice and policy interventions aimed at strengthening community responses to HIV and health
Black Canadians’ Exposure to Everyday Racism
Difficulties accessing health care services during the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada
We conclude that there is a dynamic interplay of factors operating at multiple levels to shape the impact of COVID-19 related needs to be addressed through changes in social policies, which can tackle unique struggles faced by visible minority immigrants
Determinants of infant feeding practices among Black mothers living with HIV
While cultural beliefs and perceived stress favoured MF over EFF, advice of healthcare workers, and the care received from a nurse/midwife improved EFF over MF. Also while the mothers' perceived stress favoured MF over EBF, advice of their nurses or midwife and the social support improved EBF over MF. The providers advice was congruent with WHO and national guidelines for infant feeding among mothers living with HIV. These results have implicatio…
Determinants of Adherence to National Infant Feeding Guidelines by Black Mothers Living with HIV
City-level factors were not found to influence adherence to infant feeding guidelines; however, socio-cultural and psychosocial factors at community, family and individual levels were significant. Policy formulation and targeted interventions must be cognizant of cultural expectations of motherhood and mindful of psychosocial determinants of adherence to infant feeding guidelines
Motherhood among Black women living with HIV
We compared factors mediating motherhood experiences among Black nursing mothers living with HIV in two North American cities to one African city. Motherhood was measured with the Being a Mother Scale, and we compared their predictors between the two continents using difference in difference estimation within hierarchical linear modeling. Cultural beliefs congruent with infant feeding guidelines and social support had significant positive but dif…
Concurrent sexual partnerships and HIV testing among heterosexual Black men in Ontario, Canada
These findings align with the theoretical constructs of the health belief model but more importantly, they suggest heterosexual Black men with concurrent sexual partners may be aware of their HIV risk and are taking measures to know their serostatus. Hence, making HIV screening services accessible and at safer spaces could increase their use of HIV screening services
Unpacking the health and social consequences of Covid-19 through a race, migration and gender lens
Sexual Debut Among Heterosexual Men of African and Caribbean Descent
Social Determinants of Breastfeeding Preferences among Black Mothers Living with HIV in Two North American Cities
The study is motivated by the need to understand the social determinants of breastfeeding attitudes among HIV-positive African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) mothers. To address the central issue identified in this study, analysis was conducted with datasets from two North American cities, where unique country-specific guidelines complicate infant feeding discourse, decisions, and practices for HIV-positive mothers. These national infant feeding gui…
Psychosocial Experiences of HIV-Positive Women of African Descent in the Cultural Context of Infant Feeding
Infant feeding among mothers of African descent living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a critical practice that is influenced by policies, cultural expectations, and the resultant psychosocial state of the mother. Hence, this paper draws insights from a broader infant feeding study. It provides insights into how guidelines on infant feeding practices, cultural expectations, migration, or geographic status intersect to influence the psy…
HIV-Related Stigma Among Black Mothers in Two North American and One African Cities
Informal transit, socio-spatial exclusion, and changing geographies of HIV/Aids in urban Malawi
The role played by the transport sector in the regional spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is well known, yet attention has remained confined to entertainment hotspots and stopping places along long-distance highways and cross-border transport corridors. This paper draws attention to informal modes of transit prevalent in sub-Saharan African cities, by linking the rise of two-wheeled, manually operated bicycles, known as "Sacramento", to the pot…
Minding the gap
Health and social care providers' perceptions of Black-Canadian parent-youth sexual health communication has important implications for addressing knowledge gaps in the provision of services to young people and their parents. Providers' perceptions are crucial as they often act as advisers in tailoring programmes or services to the perceived needs of parents and youth. To understand these perceptions, 17 semi-structured in-depth interviews were c…
Black Canadians’ Exposure to Everyday Racism
Unpacking the health and social consequences of Covid-19 through a race, migration and gender lens
The Meanings and Functions of Occupations Related to Spirituality for African Nova Scotian Women
This article explores the meanings and functions of spiritually-related occupations for 50 African Canadian women in Nova Scotia, Canada. All but two women were affiliated with a Christian church. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, several spiritual occupations were identified by participants: prayer, Bible study, reading other sacred texts, private devotion, singing spiritual songs, and church-related activities such as committees, community…
Maternal Knowing and Social Networks
The postpartum period is an exciting yet stressful time for first-time mothers, and although the experience may vary, all mothers need support during this crucial period. In Canada, there has been a shift for universal postpartum services to be offered predominantly online. However, due to a paucity of literature, it is difficult to determine the degree to which mothers' needs are being effectively addressed. The aim of this study was to examine …
De-problematizing masculinity among heterosexual African, Caribbean, and Black male youth and men
A positive view of masculinity among ACB heterosexual men and youth could support future practice and policy interventions aimed at strengthening community responses to HIV and health
A Manifesto for transformative action on HIV among Black communities in Canada
Concurrent sexual partnerships and HIV testing among heterosexual Black men in Ontario, Canada
These findings align with the theoretical constructs of the health belief model but more importantly, they suggest heterosexual Black men with concurrent sexual partners may be aware of their HIV risk and are taking measures to know their serostatus. Hence, making HIV screening services accessible and at safer spaces could increase their use of HIV screening services
Sexual Debut Among Heterosexual Men of African and Caribbean Descent
Qualitative Research in an International Research Program
Nurses are knowledgeable about issues that affect quality and equity of care and are well qualified to inform policy, yet their expertise is seldom acknowledged and their input infrequently invited. In 2007, a large multidisciplinary team of researchers and decision-makers from Canada and five low- and middle-income countries (Barbados, Jamaica, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa) received funding to implement a participatory action research (PAR) p…
Epistemic racism in the health professions
Systemic racism within health care is increasingly garnering critical attention, but to date attention to the racism experienced by health professionals themselves has been scant. In Canada, anti-Black racism may be embodied in structures, policies, institutional practices and interpersonal interactions. Epistemic racism is an aspect of systemic racism wherein the knowledge claims, ways of knowing and 'knowers' themselves are constructed as inval…
Immigrant generational status and the uptake of HIV screening services among heterosexual men of African descent in Canada
HIV prevention policies may need not only prioritize first-generation immigrants, but the wellbeing of their descendants as well. This could be achieved by implementing programs that will enhance second-generation immigrants' use of HIV screening services. Additionally, HIV educational programs would be of relevance and especially so as respondents with good knowledge of HIV transmission consistently demonstrated higher likelihood of testing for …
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
Women are among the most disadvantaged members of any community, and they tend to be at greatest risk of illness. Black women are particularly vulnerable and more prone than White women to illnesses associated with social and economic deprivation, including heart disease and diabetes. They utilize preventive health services less often, and when they fall ill, the health of their families and communities typically suffers as well. This article dis…
Cancer Care Experiences and the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at End of Life in Nova Scotia’s Black Communities
Purpose: This qualitative study examines the meanings that African Canadians living in Nova Scotia, Canada, ascribe to their experiences with cancer, family caregiving, and their use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) at end of life. Design: Case study methodology using in-depth interviews were used to examine the experiences of caregivers of decedents who died from cancer in three families. Findings: For many African Canadians end o…
The Meanings and Functions of Occupations Related to Spirituality for African Nova Scotian Women
This article explores the meanings and functions of spiritually-related occupations for 50 African Canadian women in Nova Scotia, Canada. All but two women were affiliated with a Christian church. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, several spiritual occupations were identified by participants: prayer, Bible study, reading other sacred texts, private devotion, singing spiritual songs, and church-related activities such as committees, community…
“With God in our lives he gives us the strength to carry on”
This mixed-methods study explored the racism-related experiences of 50 mid-life African-heritage women living in Nova Scotia, Canada, along with their use of spirituality as a coping strategy for dealing with racism-related stress. Four standardised instruments, along with qualitative in-depth interviews, were used to examine women's experiences of racism, depression, stress, and spirituality. Spirituality provided a key coping mechanism for raci…
Qualitative Research in an International Research Program
Nurses are knowledgeable about issues that affect quality and equity of care and are well qualified to inform policy, yet their expertise is seldom acknowledged and their input infrequently invited. In 2007, a large multidisciplinary team of researchers and decision-makers from Canada and five low- and middle-income countries (Barbados, Jamaica, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa) received funding to implement a participatory action research (PAR) p…
Public Health Nurses and Mothers Challenge and Shift the Meaning of Health Outcomes
Maternal, child, and newborn health is a priority area in Canada and around the world. The work of public health nurses (PHNs) is often invisible and misunderstood. The purpose of this qualitative research project was to explore how universal and targeted home visiting programs for mothers and babies were organized, delivered, and experienced through the everyday practices of PHNs ( n = 16) and mothers ( n = 16) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Feminist p…
Assessing Women Caregiving Role to People Living With HIV/Aids in Nigeria, West Africa
HIV/AIDS scourge remains high in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, which is home to about 3.3 million HIV positive individuals and represents the second largest burden of HIV/AIDS care, treatment and demand worldwide after South Africa. Anti-retroviral treatment options though a welcome development, has increased the number of people living with this chronic illness, and most of them depend on family members for physical and e…
You feel you have to be made of steel”
The "strong Black woman" construct has been well-documented in the United States as both an aspirational icon and a constricting burden for African-heritage women. It has not been examined among African-Canadians. Drawing on qualitative interviews and standardized measures with 50 African-heritage women in Eastern Canada, our analysis reveals their perceptions of the construct as both strongly endorsed as a source of cultural pride, yet also ackn…
Minding the gap
Health and social care providers' perceptions of Black-Canadian parent-youth sexual health communication has important implications for addressing knowledge gaps in the provision of services to young people and their parents. Providers' perceptions are crucial as they often act as advisers in tailoring programmes or services to the perceived needs of parents and youth. To understand these perceptions, 17 semi-structured in-depth interviews were c…
Maternal Knowing and Social Networks
The postpartum period is an exciting yet stressful time for first-time mothers, and although the experience may vary, all mothers need support during this crucial period. In Canada, there has been a shift for universal postpartum services to be offered predominantly online. However, due to a paucity of literature, it is difficult to determine the degree to which mothers' needs are being effectively addressed. The aim of this study was to examine …
Informal transit, socio-spatial exclusion, and changing geographies of HIV/Aids in urban Malawi
The role played by the transport sector in the regional spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is well known, yet attention has remained confined to entertainment hotspots and stopping places along long-distance highways and cross-border transport corridors. This paper draws attention to informal modes of transit prevalent in sub-Saharan African cities, by linking the rise of two-wheeled, manually operated bicycles, known as "Sacramento", to the pot…
Social Determinants of Breastfeeding Preferences among Black Mothers Living with HIV in Two North American Cities
The study is motivated by the need to understand the social determinants of breastfeeding attitudes among HIV-positive African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) mothers. To address the central issue identified in this study, analysis was conducted with datasets from two North American cities, where unique country-specific guidelines complicate infant feeding discourse, decisions, and practices for HIV-positive mothers. These national infant feeding gui…
Psychosocial Experiences of HIV-Positive Women of African Descent in the Cultural Context of Infant Feeding
Infant feeding among mothers of African descent living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a critical practice that is influenced by policies, cultural expectations, and the resultant psychosocial state of the mother. Hence, this paper draws insights from a broader infant feeding study. It provides insights into how guidelines on infant feeding practices, cultural expectations, migration, or geographic status intersect to influence the psy…
HIV-Related Stigma Among Black Mothers in Two North American and One African Cities
Difficulties accessing health care services during the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada
We conclude that there is a dynamic interplay of factors operating at multiple levels to shape the impact of COVID-19 related needs to be addressed through changes in social policies, which can tackle unique struggles faced by visible minority immigrants
Determinants of infant feeding practices among Black mothers living with HIV
While cultural beliefs and perceived stress favoured MF over EFF, advice of healthcare workers, and the care received from a nurse/midwife improved EFF over MF. Also while the mothers' perceived stress favoured MF over EBF, advice of their nurses or midwife and the social support improved EBF over MF. The providers advice was congruent with WHO and national guidelines for infant feeding among mothers living with HIV. These results have implicatio…
Determinants of Adherence to National Infant Feeding Guidelines by Black Mothers Living with HIV
City-level factors were not found to influence adherence to infant feeding guidelines; however, socio-cultural and psychosocial factors at community, family and individual levels were significant. Policy formulation and targeted interventions must be cognizant of cultural expectations of motherhood and mindful of psychosocial determinants of adherence to infant feeding guidelines
Motherhood among Black women living with HIV
We compared factors mediating motherhood experiences among Black nursing mothers living with HIV in two North American cities to one African city. Motherhood was measured with the Being a Mother Scale, and we compared their predictors between the two continents using difference in difference estimation within hierarchical linear modeling. Cultural beliefs congruent with infant feeding guidelines and social support had significant positive but dif…
Concurrent sexual partnerships and HIV testing among heterosexual Black men in Ontario, Canada
These findings align with the theoretical constructs of the health belief model but more importantly, they suggest heterosexual Black men with concurrent sexual partners may be aware of their HIV risk and are taking measures to know their serostatus. Hence, making HIV screening services accessible and at safer spaces could increase their use of HIV screening services
Unpacking the health and social consequences of Covid-19 through a race, migration and gender lens
Sexual Debut Among Heterosexual Men of African and Caribbean Descent
Correlates of Casual Sex Amidst Vulnerability to HIV Among ACB Heterosexual Men in Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario Canada
Global Food Insecurity and African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Populations During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Community perspectives on addressing and responding to HIV-testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) people in Ontario, Cana…
CBPR, co-led by community members, is an important strategy for identifying the multi-level individual, interpersonal, community, institutional and structural factors that increase HIV vulnerability in ACB communities, notably anti-Black systemic racism. Study findings suggest the need for targeted community-based strategies and strategies aimed at reducing health system barriers to testing and care
Immigrant generational status and the uptake of HIV screening services among heterosexual men of African descent in Canada
HIV prevention policies may need not only prioritize first-generation immigrants, but the wellbeing of their descendants as well. This could be achieved by implementing programs that will enhance second-generation immigrants' use of HIV screening services. Additionally, HIV educational programs would be of relevance and especially so as respondents with good knowledge of HIV transmission consistently demonstrated higher likelihood of testing for …
Medicine (29 works) · Sociology (27 works) · Psychology (19 works) · Political science (18 works) · Gerontology (15 works) · Nursing (14 works) · Demography (12 works) · Gender Studies (12 works) · Environmental health (11 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (11 works)