Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Poverty And Commercial Surrogacy In India: An Intersectional Analytical Approach, Sheela Suryanarayanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The destination and source countries for commercial surrogacy match world patterns of inequality. India, Nepal, Thailand, Mexico, and Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy, moving the market to other less-developed countries in South Africa and South America. India had a commercial surrogacy boom until exploitative factors led to the passage of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill in 2019, which banned the practice. This paper examines surrogacy's monetary, health, and emotional effects on 45 surrogate mothers in Gujarat State, India. The study revealed that a majority (63%) of the very poor women remained very poor post-surgery. Surrogate mothers in poor households had to do …

Identites Of Women In Indian Art And History, Nalini Rao

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The stereotypical image of Indian women portrayed in the art of stone sculpture is often interpreted as images of beauty that are sensuous, religious as well depict social life. There are historical reasons for depicting her as such. This paper inquires into the changing depiction and social forces that influenced feminine imagery. This paper examines the portrayal of beauty through idealization of female body which has evolved over the centuries in India. It also aims to understand their changing status and explores issues of feminine identity, status, and empowerment largely in ancient and medieval India. It also provides a brief …

Voices, Stories And Experiences Of Black Women: Informing The Establishment Of A Trenton-Based Maternal And Infant Health Innovation And Research Center, Tirzah R. Spencer Phd, Mph, Barbara George Johnson Mph, J.D., Consuelo Bonillas

Center for Health Policy Development

The establishment of a Maternal and Infant Health Innovation and Research Center is one of nine recommendations outlined by the 2021 Nurture NJ Strategic Plan to reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity and ensure equity in care and in outcomes for mothers and infants of all ethnic groups. The purpose of this environmental scan is to provide input for the design of a Maternal and Infant Health Innovation and Research Center within Trenton.

Building on the Nurture NJ Initiative, this project is a deeper dive in its focus on Black and Latina women living in Trenton and surrounding areas. …

Pulling Out Of Afghanistan, Suzanne Riskin

be Still

This piece was written on a casual day at work when there was not any particular event happening. I realized how much of an impact a decision made so far away from home could have on my personal growth as a medical educator.

Empowering Action Against Femicide: A Case Study Of Turkey An Integrated Literature Review, Ashley Simon

Thinking Matters Symposium

The primary purpose of this integrative literature review is to explore the relationship between culture and femicide within Turkey to empower action against femicide. Femicides within Turkey are on the rise, as a study done by Sage Journals in 2009 reported that 42% of Turkish women between the ages of 15 and 60 experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse from their husband or partner. Currently, there has been an onslaught of articles released that more and more women are being abused throughout the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research will explore cultural aspects that allow for women’s …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria: A Mixed Method Analysis, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina, Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa, Julianah Babajide, Juliet Amarachukwu Nwafor

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware of it. The commonly known screening …

Preventive Health Service Use Among Rural Women, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathan Paluso Mph, Jaclyn Janis Bsn, Rn

Access / Insurance

Preventive health services and screenings are an important component in the continuum of care provided to individuals across all ages. Yet, research has shown that rural residents generally use fewer preventive health services and screenings. This study used the National Health Interview Survey to examine receipt of preventive health services (cholesterol check, fasting blood sugar test, mammogram, pap smear, and receipt of the HPV vaccine) by rural and urban women over the age of 18. Findings indicate that rural women were less likely than their urban peers to receive preventive health services, and that some of the differences may be …

Research Brief: "Access To Mental Health Care Among Women Veterans: Is Va Meeting Women’S Needs?", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is a summary of access to mental health care among women veterans and gender related indicators of perceived access to mental health care.

An Analysis Of Women’S Access To Acute Opioid Detoxification Services In Maine: Identifying The Barriers To Treatment, Karen E. Conley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The lack of treatment facilities and services for opioid use disorder in Maine, combined with an increased prevalence of addiction, creates a potential for health inequity between men and women that may be intensified by barriers in access to care. This capstone study utilized detoxification screening inquiry forms and data obtained from the Milestone Foundation’s acute opioid detoxification program to assess and categorize barriers to access by gender. A barriers model was developed based on existing literature and was to identify potential associations among and between the known barriers to accessing treatment. Barriers were described as internally or externally based, …

Expanding Women’S Healthcare Access In The United States: The Patchwork “Universalism” Of The Affordable Care Act, Randy Albelda, Diana Salas Coronado

Center for Social Policy Publications

This paper explores the promise of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called “Obamacare” (referred to here as the ACA), with attention to the ways gender matter by tracing the development and implementation of key US social protection systems, an examination of the current health system with particular attention to women’s coverage, and the potential impacts of the ACA, including how it conforms to international human rights norms for health care. The ACA promises to vastly improve the key dimensions of health coverage in the US, but it conforms with other US social policy by relying on market-based …

Grant Application: Photovoice, Lilia Bottino, Collyn Baeder

Photovoice: A Visual Narrative Into The Lives Of Maine Refugee Women

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Photovoice: A Visual Narrative into the Lives of Maine Refugee Women. Photovoice was proposed as a participatory action strategy which would provide Maine refugee women the opportunity to teach their community and policy makers about health and social issues they face. A UNE MSW student and MPH student sought to understand the barriers to health that Maine refugee women face. They proposed a project where participants would be given a camera to take photos of perceived health and social problems refugees face living in Maine. The photos would seek to …

Agenda: 2012 Energy Justice Conference And Technology Exposition, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, University Of Colorado Boulder. Colorado European Union Center Of Excellence, University Of Colorado Boulder. Presidents Leadership Institute

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Co-sponsored with the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence and the Presidents Leadership Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The ability to harness energy is fundamental to economic and social development. Worldwide, almost 3 billion people have little or no access to beneficial energy resources for cooking, heating, water sanitation, illumination, transportation, or basic mechanical needs. Energy poverty exacerbates ill health and economic hardship, and reduces educational opportunities, particularly for women and children. Specifically, access to efficient and affordable energy services is a prerequisite for achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) relating to poverty eradication.

In response, the UN …

Slides: Meeting The Needs Of Women Through Clean Cooking Solutions, Corinne Hart

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Corinne Hart, Program Manager, Gender and Markets, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

20 slides

Research Brief: "Work-Related Quality Of Life And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Female Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among female veterans, and found that about 10.2% of female veterans using the VA in 2009 had a diagnosis of PTSD, compared to 7.8% of their male counterparts. In practice, occupational program facilitators and health professionals should focus on creating interventions that target the needs of veterans with multiple diagnoses. For policy, policymakers should also focus on initiatives that serve both female veterans with multiple diagnoses and health professionals providing care to these veterans. Suggestions for future study include having large samples of female veterans and performing gender comparisons in data analysis, …

The Aftermath Of Abusive Adoption Practices In The Lives Of Adoption Triad Members: Responding To Adoption Triad Members Victimized By Abusive Adoption Practices, David M. Smolin, Desiree L. Smolin

David M. Smolin

The above-titled presentation was given as a plenary presentation at the Annual Symposium of the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) on April 18, 2012. Herein is a slightly modified version of the Power Point used at the presentation. We corrected some typos and made some editorial adjustments, but this is 99% the same as what was used at the presentation. Unfortunately the event itself was not taped.

It is important to note that the original context for this presentation is Intercountry Adoption to the United States. However, some of you may find some of these points relevant to …

Understanding Mesosystemic Influences On Reported Health Among Rural Low-Income Women: A Structural Equation Analysis, Tiffany Wigington

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While ensuring access to health insurance and health care services is important, emerging research indicates that individual health and well-being result from a complex array of environmental, social, and psychological factors. The delineation of how factors of health and well-being unfold and impact rural low-income women is particularly salient for social workers who provide services to rural residents and who work within a rural context. Utilizing components from the ecological systems perspective, this study explored how the factors associated with health risk influenced reported health and mesosystemic processes among rural low-income women. This sample (n=304) for this study was drawn …

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 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 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.

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 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.

Intercountry Adoption And Poverty: A Human Rights Analysis, David M. Smolin

David M. Smolin

This Article explores the question of whether intercountry adoption is an effective, appropriate, or ethical response to poverty in developing nations. As a matter of methodology, this fundamental question of adoption ethics is explored through the lens of international human rights law. This Article specifically argues that, where the birth parents live under or near the international poverty standard of $1 per day, family preservation assistance must be provided or offered as a condition precedent for accepting a relinquishment that would make the child eligible for intercountry adoption.

Mandatory Waiting Periods For Abortions And Female Mental Health, Jonathan Klick

All Faculty Scholarship

Proponents of laws requiring a waiting period before a woman can receive an abortion argue that these cooling off periods protect against rash decisions on the part of women in the event of unplanned pregnancies. Opponents claim, at best, waiting periods have no effect on decision-making and, at worst, they subject women to additional mental anguish and stress. In this article, I examine these competing claims using adult female suicide rates at the state level as a proxy for mental health. Panel data analyses suggest that the adoption of mandatory waiting periods reduce suicide rates by about 10 percent, and …

Econometric Analyses Of U.S. Abortion Policy: A Critical Review, Jonathan Klick

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Women, Poverty, Access To Health Care, And The Perils Of Symbolic Reform, Mary Anne Bobinski, Phyllis Griffin Epps

Faculty Articles

This article looks at health care through gendered eyes. We sift though available data on access to health care, health status, and health treatments to determine whether men and women experience health care differently in the United States. While we do not doubt that overt gender-based discrimination occasionally occurs in health care, this article focuses on the importance of unintended consequences and unconscious bias. We also explore the impact of symbolism about women's roles on the process of health care reform. The results have important implications for policy makers, advocates, and health care providers.

The United States has a large …

A Study Of The Factors That Impact Female Military Beneficiaries Obtaining Preventive Health Services, Cynthia Andrea Chargois

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors predict whether female military retirees or the female beneficiary of a military retiree, ages 40 to 64, will obtain preventive health services, specifically, Pap smears, mammograms, and clinical breast examinations. Based on the findings of the study, it is suggested that it may be important for the Department of Defense to broaden their scope of interest to include those areas that are most prominent in affecting female military retirees or the female beneficiary of a military retiree, particularly those 40 to 64, in obtaining preventive health services.

The study comprised …

Sola No Eres Nada, Juntas Flotamos: El Movimiento Manuela Ramos, Judith Bruce, Debbie Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité discusses the Manuela Ramos Movement and its efforts to improve women’s health and well-being through a range of empowerment strategies in rural Peru. A joint project with USAID, named Reprosalud, demonstrates how combining the resources of an international donor with local women’s organizations allows a more organic and multifaceted family planning program to develop. Such programs can produce impressive improvements on a number of indicators, including contraceptive use.

Disparities In The Health Care Status Of Women: Implications For Research, Marcia I. Wells-Lawson

Trotter Review

Even a cursory review of data on the health status of women reveals striking differences by race. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, death rates among Black women from the three leading causes of death (cardiac disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease) exceed those of white, Asian, Native American and Latina women for each age category from 45-84. With the exception of Black women, the death rates among white women from these diseases exceed those of other ethnic groups of women. Data on two of the risk factors for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases (hypertension and obesity), show …