Cancer Nutrition Education for Black Women: Policy Responsibility in a Systematic Review.

Abstract

Introduction/ObjectivesCancer nutrition education supports cancer prevention and survivorship, yet African American/Black (AA/B) women continue to experience nutrition-related inequities across the cancer continuum. This review examined how qualitative studies describe these inequities and assign responsibility within the literature.MethodsPubMed and Scopus were searched in December 2024 and updated in January 2026. Eligible studies involved AA/B women in the United States, addressed cancer-related nutrition experiences, used qualitative methods, and examined nutrition-related inequities across the cancer care continuum. SPIDER-informed criteria guided eligibility, data were synthesized using inductive thematic analysis guided by intersectionality, and study quality was appraised using CASP.ResultsFourteen qualitative studies were included. Responsibility for nutrition-related inequities was located within programmatic, institutional, and structural conditions. Five themes were identified: Universal Nutrition Standards, Feasible Nutrition Guidance, Access and Choices, Concordance and Cultural Relevance, and Community-Driven Co-Design. Participants described adapting nutrition guidance to caregiving demands, cultural food practices, survivorship challenges, and access barriers. Race, gender, caregiving, cultural identity, geography, and socioeconomic conditions were reported across studies.ConclusionsThe literature frames inequities in cancer nutrition education as consequences of programmatic, institutional, and structural conditions. Improving cancer nutrition equity for AA/B women may require culturally relevant, feasible, community-informed approaches and stronger attention to nutrition delivery contexts.