Understanding Structural Health Disparities: Public Health Lessons from Black College Students During COVID-19

Research from the past three years has highlighted the detrimental physical, mental, and social health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Black Americans and college students. Given the mental health crisis among the Black residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we sought to heighten the visibility of the experiences of Black students by investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted two focus groups with Black American college students (N = 14) and used thematic analysis to identify and interpret the participants’ reported experiences of the local community. The data revealed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on several dimensions of health. It additionally revealed contextual factors (education status, community of origin, cultural identity, and quarantine environment) that contributed to the health impacts of COVID-19. The results underscore implications for health and social service provision and highlights the importance of adopting a culturally informed approach to prevention and intervention efforts.