Scoping review maps landscape of Black health research in Canada

A comprehensive scoping review published in BMC Public Health has mapped the landscape of research on the health of Black people in Canada, analyzing 522 peer-reviewed studies identified from 13,610 records. The review, led by Victor Williams and Bukola Salami with a large multidisciplinary team, found that Black people represent one of the fastest-growing populations in Canada yet continue to experience health inequities driven by anti-Black racism, structural discrimination, and unequal social determinants of health. While earlier studies had examined specific conditions or subgroups, the authors report that the broader body of research on Black people's health in Canada had not been systematically synthesized until now.

The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework, and was reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The team searched eight electronic databases and hand-searched reference lists, imposing no restrictions on publication date or language. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed original quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research conducted in Canada that addressed physical, mental, or social health, healthcare access, or social structural determinants of health among Black populations.

The 522 included studies spanned 15 health-related domains. The most frequently studied areas were mental health, communicable diseases, healthcare access, racial discrimination, and immigrant-related stress. Research output increased substantially after 2000, with more than half of all included studies published between 2020 and 2025.

Across the domains, the synthesized literature documented disproportionate disease burdens among Black people in Canada, persistent barriers to culturally safe care, and the pervasive influence of racism and socioeconomic inequities. The review characterized these patterns as recurring themes cutting across physical health, mental health, and healthcare access research, rather than findings confined to any single condition or region. The authors also identified substantial gaps in the evidence base.

Race-disaggregated data were limited, meaning health outcomes were often not broken down by race. Many studies relied on non-representative samples, and diverse Black populations in Canada were frequently aggregated into a single category, obscuring differences among communities with distinct histories and social circumstances. Longitudinal research tracking health over time and intervention-focused studies testing solutions were also limited.

Its contribution lies in identifying where evidence exists, what it shows at a thematic level, and where future research investment is most needed. The authors frame the findings as a foundation for equity-oriented research priorities, improved data collection practices, and policy action. The article was published open access on 23 October 2026, with the publisher noting that the shared early version is citable and carries a permanent DOI, but remains subject to further edits before the final version of record replaces it.

For researchers and policymakers, the review's mapping of 15 domains offers a structured overview of where Black health scholarship in Canada has concentrated and where it has not. The documented gaps, particularly the lack of race-disaggregated data and representative sampling, point to structural limitations in how health information about Black communities has been collected. The authors position the review as a comprehensive mapping intended to guide future studies, data collection, and equity-focused policy action in Canadian health research.

Subject of Research: A scoping review of peer-reviewed research on the health of Black people in Canada

Article Title: Black people’s health in Canada: a scoping review

Article References: Williams, V., Maduforo, A. N., Henry, C., Ospina, M. B., Prado, C. M., Amodu, O., Aluko, R. E., Monari, E., Kemei, J., Awosoga, O., Olstad, D. L., Massaquoi, N., Etowa, J., Boamah, S. A., Dogba, M. J., Ndjaboue, R., Hamilton-Hinch, B., Sajobi, T. T., Estabrooks, C. A., … Salami, B. (2026). Black people’s health in Canada: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-30018-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-30018-3

Keywords: scoping review, Black health, Canada, health inequities, anti-Black racism, social determinants of health, mental health, healthcare access, racial discrimination, race-disaggregated data, BMC Public Health, public health