Afya, a Swahili word for "health," "wellbeing," and "strength," is a twelve-week holistic, Afrocentric stress-intervention and empowerment program designed to empower Black women in the community who are pregnant, or who plan to become pregnant, to buffer against and manage the effects of racial discrimination and general life stress. Through the promotion of emotional, physical, relational, and community health and wellbeing, the Afya Afrocentric Health and Wellness Program aims to provide Black women the knowledge, skills, and support to live healthier lives and have healthier babies, and ultimately, prevent the disproportionate rate of maternal and infant birth complications amongst Black women in the U.S.
More specifically, the Afya program aims to: (1) enhance the health literacy with regards to the impact of racial discrimination stress and other forms of stress on maternal and fetal health and wellbeing, (2) reduce the impact of racial discrimination stress and other forms of stress on maternal and fetal health and wellbeing, (3) promote physical, emotional, relational, and community wellbeing, (4) encourage movement towards a health-promoting lifestyle, (5) reduce the risk for delivery complications, preterm births, and low infant birthweights, and (6) promote community-involvement, leadership, and activism. These aims will be accomplished through three primary components: (1) psycho-education, (2) skills training, and (3) group support.
