141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

288838
Experience of health care among marginalized populations: Women on the edge

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Leah Varga, PhD , Division of Research/College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Significance: Vulnerable populations are highly affected by social ills resulting from structural inequalities. The interaction of these structural factors and their consequences on minority communities may affect health care utilization patterns of marginalized populations and ultimately, their health. Objective: This work examined the way marginalized women defined and experienced health and health care needs in the context of these inequalities. Methods: Five focus groups were conducted with thirteen women whose narratives were used to illuminate health care experiences for a group of Black, female, drug using sex workers. Results: Any consistent link or resource for accessing health care facilitated current and future utilization behaviors. Women communicated their experiences with health care in the context of their links to care, and those without these links had negative experiences, as discrimination based on lack of insurance became the primary perception and barrier of accessing health care. Through these experiences, women constructed expectations and beliefs about health care, and negative experiences reinforced their constantly developing perceptions of discrimination. While experiences were influenced by their vulnerable status, their definitions of health were consistent with typical goals and focused on diet, exercise, being free of pain, and feeling mentally clear. Discussion: A model was constructed linking health definitions and experiences of seeking care at one level, all of these to structural violence at a more abstract level and the reinforced ideology that maintains a repressive system. Utilization behaviors are affected by structural issues, upheld by individualistic ideologies and internalized through interactions with health care providers.

Learning Areas:
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe health care seeking experiences for a marginalized group

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted all research, from conception to analysis, presented in this abstract for my dissertation in Medical Sociology from the University of Miami in May 2012. My research interests include health disparities research and ideologies that maintain such disparities.
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.