UW Study Documents the Effectiveness of Community-Based Doulas in Mitigating Racial Disparities in Perinatal Health
July 7, 2025 12:15 pmDoulas play a critical role in disrupting systemic patterns of preterm birth, frequent medical interventions and high cesarean rates.
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Media Contact: Emily Trujillo, emily@openarmsps.org
Seattle, WA (July 9, 2025) – Community-based doula programs are the subject of new research that highlights the effectiveness of doulas on birth outcomes for birthing people of color. The study, a collaboration between researchers at University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology and Open Arms Perinatal Services (Open Arms), utilized both quantitative health data and qualitative focus group data to document the implementation and outcomes of a community-based doula program.
The findings emphasize how birth doula clients of Open Arms achieve cesarean and pre-term birth rates that are lower than the state average. This supports existing research showing that doulas play a critical role in disrupting systemic patterns of frequent medical interventions, high cesarean rates, and preterm birth. “Our study found that the unique combination of doula care, lactation support, and resource acquisition of Open Arms holistically supports birthing families and can lead to healthy birth outcomes,” said Dr. Taylor Riley, an author of the study.
The holistic combination of home visits, tangible goods like baby items, and having trusted, culturally matched birth doula support were identified as key contributors to a higher prevalence of full-term, vaginal, and healthy-weight births.
This relational and holistic approach to pregnancy-related care works synergistically to address intergenerational impacts of structural racism and resulted in families being able to “thrive when they have the wraparound services that meet their health needs, the baby’s needs and their basic necessities” stated one doula who was interviewed.
The key challenges facing the community-based doula program, as identified in the study, are intersecting systems of oppression, as well as lack of community resources due to policy and institutional constraints, and power asymmetries within birth settings which lead to provider burnout.
Open Arms works to disrupt these challenges through mentorship, on-call midwives, and continued professional development for birth workers. One participant described it as a “positive feedback loop” where well-supported community-based providers led to bolstered support of families.
The study asserts the need for increased funding and structural support for doula programs and acknowledges that the considerable need for more community resources requires policy changes. Researchers urge funders to recognize the extensive labor, which is often made invisible, that goes into building the infrastructure required to result in reliable, consistent, and trustworthy support for birthing families.
Dila Perera, Executive Director of Open Arms, shares, “This study further validates what we have always known and seen over nearly 30 years, which is that, despite the systemic challenges they face, well-supported community-based birth doulas can profoundly impact the health and wellbeing of birthing people. All families deserve this care, especially those who are most harmed by racism and other structural inequities.”
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Founded in 1997, Open Arms is the first independent, community-based program in Washington State to provide comprehensive perinatal services to over four thousand economically marginalized families. We are a predominantly BIPOC organization that provides free support during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood with birth and community-based outreach doula services, lactation counseling, and social service referrals to over 500 families annually throughout the Puget Sound region.