Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Marjorie R. Sable, DrPH, MSW¹, Lisa R. Schwartz, MSPH², Anne Dannerbeck, PhD¹, and James R. Campbell, PhD³. (1) School of Social Work, University of Missouri-Columbia, 726 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, 573-882-0914, sablem@missouri.edu, (2) School of Health Professions, University of Missouri-Columbia, Lewis Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, (3) Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, MA306, Columbia, MO 65212

We used Photovoice, a participatory action research method developed by Wang (1999) to identify ways to improve family planning services for Hispanic immigrants. We illustrate the themes identified by the participants through their photographs and narratives. Seven immigrant Hispanic adults (4 women and 3 men) met four times over the course of three months in the summer of 2005. All meetings were recorded and videotaped. Cameras were distributed twice and the resulting photographs discussed at meetings. The final meeting provided the group the opportunity to make a final selection of photographs to illustrate sub-themes derived from their transcripts. Four sub-themes arose: 1) Family planning is about family: This occurs in discussions between partners and between parents and children, is based in the importance of family to the community, and includes discussions of economics. 2) Benefits of family planning: impoving the quality of family life and childhood, and guaranteeing sufficient resources for health, education and quality parenting. 3) Serving Hispanics in the clinic: The importance of reception, Spanish signage visible from the street and within the clinic, necessity to understand how to communicate successfully with healthcare providers, need for providers to understand how to communicate successfully with non-English speaking client, and information about methods in Spanish, and 4) Serving Hispanics in the community: notices in Spanish relevant to family planning availability and need to communicate to immigrant Hispanics where information may be obtained. An exhibit of these photographs and narratives has been developed for use in provider training.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the use of Photovoice as a participatory action research method.
• Articulate themes identified by Hispanic immigrants for improving family planning services.
• Identify how this method can be used for provider training.

Keywords: Access and Services, Family Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered