 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Dinah Phillips Welch, MSN, ARNP, College of Nursing, University of Florida, PO Box 100187, Gainesville, FL 32610-0187, 352-378-9624, dwelc@ufl.edu
An estimated 25% of the families that live in poverty are female-headed households. Disparities in health for chronic conditions are more pronounced among women than men, and a steeper gradient in disparate outcomes exists at the lower end of the economic strata than at the top. Studies show, for example, that women’s socioeconomic (SES)is strongly and inversely related to cardiovascular disease mortality. Aside from lifestyle factors and those related to access to care, little is known about factors that mediate the SES-health relationship. Studies are beginning, however, to demonstrate that neighborhood and housing characteristics are independent determinants of health in populations and individuals. Further research, particularly nursing research, in this area is needed to determine whether and how the physical and social environment (ie. neighborhood/housing characteristics) contributes to SES-related health disparities among women through chronic stress-physiological mechanisms.
The purpose of this doctoral student’s proposed research is to, a) determine the differences in neighborhood characteristics of two different subsidized housing types, specifically Section 8 and public housing, in which single mothers of low SES live, b) examine differences in perceived stress, psychological distress and neuroendocrine pattern alterations,specifically cortisol secretion, in single mothers of lower SES by housing type, c) determine the relationships among housing type, neighborhood characteristics, perceived stress, psychological distress, and neuroendocrine pattern alterations in single mothers of lower SES, and d)determine the extent to which neighborhood characteristics, housing type, perceived stress, and psychological distress predict neuroendocrine pattern alterations among single mothers of lower SES.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Disparities, Environment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.