Engaging Antiracist And Decolonial Praxis To Advance Equity In Oregon Public Health Surveillance Practices.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Health Equity

Background:

• Public health surveillance and data systems are not neutral; they reflect and reinforce structural racism.
• Decisions about data collection and analysis are influenced by political priorities and racialized power structures.
• This impacts the representation and valuation of communities of color, shaping public health priorities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique standard public health surveillance systems through the lens of structural racism.
• To explore how epistemic and procedural justice can be advanced in the surveillance of communities of color.
• To present a case study of collaborative efforts to create antiracist surveillance systems.

Main Methods:

• Literature review drawing from social epidemiology, critical theory, and decolonial theory.
• Analysis of power dynamics within surveillance systems.
• Case study of a collaborative project in Oregon involving community partners, academics, and state health department data scientists.

Main Results:

• Surveillance systems are identified as both instruments and potential tools for dismantling structural racism.
• The Oregon case study demonstrates a successful collaboration to reimagine survey practices.
• Engaging public health critical race praxis and decolonial theory reoriented surveillance toward antiracist approaches.

Conclusions:

• Public health surveillance must be understood and addressed as a site of structural racism.
• Collaborative, community-engaged approaches informed by critical theories are essential for developing antiracist surveillance systems.
• Continued reflection and practice are needed to advance epistemic and procedural justice in public health data systems.