Wk2: Please post to the forum by 1pm on the day of class (January 23)
1. State your health outcome of interest. (It could be the one you used for week #2 or another one.) Pick two key behaviors that are important factors leading to your health outcome. Explain the importance of these behaviors either for etiology, prevention, or intervention. (If none of the behaviors in the readings are important for your health outcome, suggest another behavior that is.)
Health outcome of interest: desired (as defined by patient) reproductive health outcomes
Key behaviors: Healthcare utilization, contraceptive use or non-use
Healthcare utilization is important for etiologies, preventions, and interventions related to reproductive health outcomes. Interacting with a provider can help a patient decide what her desired reproductive health outcome is. Utilization can also help a patient prevent an undesired reproductive health outcome (interactions with a provider can help identify which, if any, contraceptive option is the best fit, etc). Finally, healthcare utilization can influence which intervention is appropriate to achieve a desired reproductive health outcome (contraception, abortion, prenatal care, etc). Contraceptive use or non-use, depending on a patient's desired reproductive outcome, is important for prevention of undesired reproductive health outcomes.
2. Describe how you would study the role of one of the behaviors described for question #1 and your health outcome of interest. Incorporate a social factor (e.g. race/ethnicity, social exclusion, stress) in the study approach.
While the relationship of desired reproductive health outcomes and health care utilization and contraceptive are established, It would be interesting to gain a better understanding of the experiences and outcomes of sexual and gender minorities with regard to desired reproductive health outcomes. I would be interested in understanding why and the degree to which gender and sexual minorities experience undesired reproductive health outcomes. I would begin with a qualitative study aimed at gaining a sense of sexual/gender minority patient experiences surrounding utilization and contraceptive use or non use.
3. If key health behaviors (e.g. smoking, exercise, nutritious diet) are strongly influenced by neighborhood, income, and/or education, do we need to continue to study how these behaviors influence health outcomes? Why or why not?
Though we know health behaviors (smoking, exercise, diet) are influenced by neighborhood, income and education, we need to continue to study how such behaviors influence health outcomes because the most effective interventions will follow deeper understanding of the interplay between these factors. Moreover, it is important to continue to ask how because, in some ways, these factors are moving targets i.e. they have the potential to evolve over time due to changing political and societal influences. Continuing to examine these relationships will help to design effective and generationally appropriate interventions.