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Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Connecticut, Dorothy Hiersteiner, Kaye Inandan

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Although Connecticut’s Medicaid programs, Husky A and B, are essential providers of coverage for maternity care, there are still major racial and ethnic disparities in access to, use of, and quality of prenatal care in Connecticut. The cesarean birth rate in the state is almost 9% higher than the US average. African American/black and Hispanic mothers experience comparatively high rates of low birth weight births. Furthermore, Connecticut is home to a substantial rural population which experiences unique challenges to accessing adequate health care. While 75% of the Connecticut population is non-Hispanic white, 9% is African American/black, 12% is Hispanic and …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Rhode Island, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Rhode Islanders face unique health disparities based on race, ethnicity and location. Just over six percent (6.3%) of the Rhode Island population is living in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), according to 2008 data. Native American and African American/black communities face particular health disparities, specifically in the areas of reproductive and infant health. In 2008, 79% of the Rhode Island population was non-Hispanic white, while 5% was African-American/black, 11% was Hispanic and 5% had other racial/ethnic backgrounds. In 2005, 12.4% of the total Rhode Island population was foreign born.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care, Adeola Oni-Orisan, Dorothy Hiersteiner, Althea Swett

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This fact sheet was developed for the roundtables project “Midwifery Care in New England: Addressing the Needs of Underserved and Diverse Communities of Women.” Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (Region I), this initiative addresses the challenges and opportunities related to the provision of midwifery care to underserved and vulnerable populations of women. The project aims to increase our understanding of regional midwifery workforce needs in the context of ensuring that all women living in New England have access to timely, affordable, and high-quality health care.

The September 2010 roundtables were …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Vermont, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

In Vermont, racial and ethnic dispariti es in low birth weight and preterm birth rates exist alongside racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage and use of preventative care. As of 2005, the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities in Vermont was approximately 3.3%, compared to 25% for the nation as a whole. In 2005, 3.4% of the Vermont population was foreign born.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Maine, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

With a large percentage of its population living in rural areas, Maine faces obstacles to providing adequate prenatal and maternity care to many women. The vast majority (96.2%) of Maine residents are non-Hispanic white, 1.2% are African American/black, 1.4% are Hispanic and 1.2% have other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Massachusetts, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

As a result of Massachusetts’ 2006 health insurance coverage law, there has been a significant decrease in the uninsurance rate for women of color. Access to and use of health care for all women in the Commonwealth has also increased. Despite these coverage and access gains, major racial/ethnic disparities in health conditions and outcomes still exist among women, especially in the use and quality of prenatal care, the occurrence of preterm and low birth weight births, and infant mortality rates. The proportion of Massachusetts births that were cesarean deliveries in 2007 was 8% higher than the national rate. Compared to …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On New Hampshire, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

New Hampshire faces significant obstacles to serving the nearly 6% of the population living in medically underserved areas. In addition, many residents of New Hampshire are uninsured, limiting their access to vital medical care. According to 2007-8 data, the racial/ethnic breakdown of New Hampshire residents is: 1% African American/black, 2% Hispanic, 94% non-Hispanic white and 3% Other. In 2005, 5.9% of the total New Hampshire population was foreign born.1 Since 1996, New Hampshire has seen increases in low birth weight births, cesarean births2, and infant mortality with racial/ethnic disparities reflected in most maternal and infant indicators.

Body Image In Middle-Aged Mormon Women: A Comparative Case Study, Janette Olsen

Faculty Publications

Body image is a multifaceted construct developed from perceived experiences and personal and cultural attitudes towards the body. Women are more vulnerable than men to internal and external influences regarding negative body image. A qualitative comparative case study design was utilized to explore how 10 lifelong, middle-aged LDS women, either married (n=5) with children or single, never married (n=5), experienced body image through their perceptions of religiosity and spirituality. The participants lived along the Wasatch Front in Utah and were recruited through known LDS gatekeepers. Each participant completed three in-person interviews and three audio or paper journals, which were transcribed …

Epidemiology Of Adiposity In Childbearing Ghanaian Women, Emma Roselyne Konan Mrs

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The prevalence of adiposity (overweight and obesity) is increasing in among Ghanaian women. The disparity between urban and rural Ghanaian women in adiposity is seldom described due to data paucity. The purpose of this study was to provide a comparative analysis between urban and rural women in regards to the socio-demographic factors associated with adiposity. METHODS: The analyses used cross-sectional data from the Ghana Demographic Health Survey involving child bearing women ages14 to 49 years old. The eligible population comprised 4848 non-pregnant women (2023 from urban and 2825 from rural areas). Residence-specific (urban versus rural) associations between selected …

Women's Compliance In Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment: The Role Of Children And Mental Health, Cathy Gertrude Cooke

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of children and mental illness in women's compliance in a treatment program for substance abuse. Information was retrieved from medical records of female clients ( N=221) who took part in a community-based day treatment program for substance abuse in a large city in southeastern Virginia during a 32-month period. It was anticipated that, as compared to women who resided with minor children, women who did not reside with minor children would have greater treatment success defined as: (1) more days in the treatment program; (2) higher percentage of negative …

Breastfeeding And Mothers With Chronic Health Conditions, Blanche Landis Phd

Dissertations

Breastfeeding and Mothers with Chronic Health Conditions Breastfeeding may be most beneficial for women with specific chronic illness and may decrease the risk or prevent those illnesses from developing in their children. This study examined the initiation and duration rates of mothers identified as having asthma, hypertension, and diabetes; differences between the three groups in their efforts to breastfeed, and associations between determinants/outcomes of breastfeeding and behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and perceived control of mothers using Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A retrospective quantitative methodology was used to compare rates of initiation and duration, the differences between the three …

The Association Between Prenatal Care Content And Quality With Preterm Birth And Maternal Postpartum Health Behaviors, Susan Cha

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Health policies that seek to improve pregnancy outcomes focus on increasing the availability and access to prenatal care (PNC) services based on studies that support an association between insufficient PNC and adverse birth outcomes. These studies employ PNC utilization indices that measure the adequacy of PNC use, but these indices fail to account for the content or specific components of PNC. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to utilize PRAMS and birth certificate data to evaluate the content and quality of PNC in Virginia, and its impact on preterm birth and maternal postpartum health behaviors. Methods: Data was …

Women's Softball In Iran: An Autoethnographic Journey, Sarah J Hillyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This autoethnographic dissertation recounts numerous untold stories about my journeys into the Islamic Republic of Iran as a sports consultant and women’s softball coach for Global Sports Partners (GSP). Autoethnography as defined by Ellis & Bochner (2000), is “an autobiographical genre of writing and research that displays multiple layers of consciousness, connecting the personal to the cultural…Autoethnographers vary in their emphasis on the research process (graphy), on culture (ethnos), and on self (auto)” (pp. 739-740). Autoethnographers, writing within a branch of narrative inquiry (Ellis & Bochner, 2000), believe in the power of story and that humans learn through stories lived …

Violence, Depression, Parental Stress, And Child Neglect Among High Risk Postpartum Women, Kristen D. Lambert Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to characterize a vulnerable population of postpartum women at risk for family violence and maladaptive outcomes and to determine the degree the identified attributes increase the risk of child neglect and psychological aggression. Lazarus' Appraisal Theory and Scaer's Traumatic Spectrum framework provided a conceptual basis to examine the interrelationships between intimate partner violence (IPV), depression, previous traumatic history, and child neglect. A descriptive correlation design using secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected for the Healthy Families San Diego Clinical Trial was used. Standardized measures including the CTS, CTS2, CTSPC, CES-D and PSI were administered …

Physical Function During Performance-Based Tasks And Throughout Daily Life. Is It Different Across Levels Of Frailty?, Olga Theou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The overall aim of this thesis was to provide a more focused understanding about the physical function of older women across levels of frailty. The specific aims were: 1) Examine the physical function of older women across levels of frailty during performance-based tasks and throughout their normal daily life; and 2) Review the effectiveness of current exercise interventions for the management of frailty. To answer these aims an observational study of community-dwelling older women (63-100 years) from rural Greece and a comprehensive systematic review on the impact of exercise on frail older adults were conducted. The performance-based measures that had …

Associations Of Race, Age, And Socioeconomic Status Among Women With Prediabetes: An Examination Of Nhanes Data 2005-2006 Regarding Prediabetes Risk, Rose T. Kattakayam

Public Health Theses

Background: Prediabetes (PD) defined as having glucose values above normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, is known to be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and associated complications. Early prevention efforts can reverse the condition or delay the development of type 2 diabetes. This study examines the sociodemographic risk factors for PD in women. Methods: Using secondary data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NHANES 2005-2006, chi-square analysis was done to find the prevalence of the disease among different categories of women with respect to age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Univariate and multivariate analyses …

Predictors Of Depressive Symptomatology In Family Caregivers Of Wom-En With Substance Use Disorders Or Co-Occurring Substance Use And Mental Disorders, David E. Biegel, Shari Katz-Saltzman, David Meeks, Suzanne Brown, Elizabeth M. Tracy

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study utilized a stress-process model to examine the impact of having a female family member with substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders on family caregivers' depressive symptomatology. Participants were 82 women receiving substance abuse treatment and the family member providing the most social support for each woman. Greater caregiver depressive symptomatology was predicted by greater care recipient emotional problems, less care recipient social support, and poor caregiver health. Implications of findings for treatment and future research are discussed

Depressive Symptoms In Women Being Screened For Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Suzanne Marie Savoy

Dissertations

Background: Depressive symptomology is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Over 15% of persons with cardiovascular disease have depressive symptoms, and women are twice as likely to experience these symptoms as men. Depressive symptoms in women “ at risk ” for cardiovascular disease has not been well studied.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between depressive symptoms, health-promoting lifestyle behaviors, heart disease risk awareness, cardiac risk, and quality of life in women at risk for cardiovascular disease. Whether the effect of depressive symptoms on quality of life was mediated by cardiac risk and/or health-promoting lifestyle behaviors was also examined. …

Awareness And Knowledge Of Hiv/Aids Among Female Indian University Students In South India And As Immigrants In The U.S.-Mexico Border Region, Thenral D. Mangadu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The prevention of HIV/AIDS is a major global public health goal. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 33 million individuals are infected with HIV worldwide and over two million of these cases are from India. The main mode of transmission of HIV in India is heterosexual contact.

In the past decades there has been a steady increase in immigration rates from India to the U.S. Education and marriage are the main reasons for immigration from India to the U.S. In general, the frequently risky sexual and substance use behaviors of college students in …

Physical Activity Levels In Obese And Non-Obese Women And Their Relationship With Body Mass Index, Perceived Self-Efficacy, Perceived Benefits And Barriers Of Exercise, And Commitment To A Plan Of Action, Rose Lange

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine relationships among selected variables and concepts within the Health Promotion Model (perceived benefits, perceived barriers to exercise, self-efficacy, commitment to plan of action) in non-obese and obese women with a focus on the behavioral outcome of physical activity (leisure & lifestyle). A group of 137 women, aged 18-50 participated in this study. BMI was found to be positively correlated to an individual's perceived barriers to action. Findings did not support the hypothesis that as BMI increases perceived benefits, self-efficacy, commitment to a plan of action and physical activity levels would …

Examining The Association Between Body Mass Index And Weight Related Quality Of Life In Black And White Women, Tiffany Lashaun Cox

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity not only increases risk for morbidity/mortality, but also impacts the quality of life of obese individuals. In the United States, black women have the highest prevalence of obesity of any other group with approximately 80% of black women over age 20 having a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2. We aimed to examine the association between weight and quality of life in this high risk population and compare it to weight-related quality of life in white women using the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL)-Lite questionnaire. Data for 343 women were analyzed (172 black, 171 white). …

Review: Intimate Partner Violence In Sri Lanka, Achini C. Jayatilleke, Krishna C. Poudel, Junko Yasuoka, Achala U. Jayatilleke, Masamine Jimba

Krishna C. Poudel