241725 Privileged Discourses of Asthma Management Disparities

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Robin Evans-Agnew, RN, MN, PhD , Psycosocial and Community Health, University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA
Background: Asthma management disparities (AMD) between African-American and White-American adolescents are an alarming and persistent threat to the health of the world's people. The way advantaged and disadvantaged groups write and talk about these disparities, their discourses, reveals important public health knowledge for a social justice critique of statewide and national asthma policies. Purpose: A critical discourse analysis (CDA) of privileged AMD discourses within a Washington State planning process for asthma. Aim 1: Describe the AMD discourses that are introduced, promoted, and/or minimized by public health leadership in the course of a statewide planning process. Method/Research design: January - March 2011: 1) record and observe a State asthma planning meeting (n>17); 2) Observe the conclusion of an asthma Photovoice event produced by disadvantaged African American adolescents for public health leadership. Measures: audio-transcripts, meeting materials, and observations; procedures: participant-observation. Analysis: This CDA will use linguistic and contextual analysis of texts and observations to identify how persons, events, actions, and arguments are introduced, promoted, or minimized between and amongst groups. Results: As part of a larger study that also examines the discourses of the disadvantaged, this poster presentation will identify important discourses of asthma management disparities and illuminate which of these are introduced, promoted, or minimized by privileged public health leadership in Washington State. Implications: CDA utilizing recorded texts and contextual observations from public health leadership meetings is an innovative and appropriate technology for policy analysis and social justice research.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe how persons, events, actions are situated within discourses of asthma management disparity. 2. Identify integrative strategies for equity in chronic disease management policies.

Keywords: Asthma, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am conducting this research for my dissertation. I am a collaborator with State Programs for Asthma.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.