I am a graduating senior majoring in
Sociology and minoring Public Health. This project represents the intersection
between these two fields of study. I believe that examining the social
determinants of health is crucial in addressing the health needs of minority
and other at-risk populations. I became interested in this project after
hearing about an immigrant couple’s experience at a recent health fair. They
were worried about participating because they thought it would increase their risk
of deportation. I began to wonder how citizenship status affects the health
decisions of immigrants living in the U.S., and particularly in the tri-state
area. The purpose of my study was to examine more closely the experiences Hispanic women have
accessing the health community as it relates to breast cancer awareness, diagnosis,
and treatment. Hispanic women are typically diagnosed with later stages of
cancer when compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. I held interviews with ten
Hispanic women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. to
collect detailed interview data regarding their experiences. I wanted to find
out what their access point into the health community was and what barriers
they experienced along the way.
I will be applying for the Masters of
Public Health here at GMU in the spring where I hope to continue my study of
the social determinants of health through other lenses. I believe that this
qualitative research has prepared me to be a better student and future health
community educator. One thing I have learned through this process is that the
qualitative research process constantly evolves as you finalize your
methodological design and collect and code the data. My project looked very
different at the beginning of the semester and I learned so much about the
process of research along the way.
