Elements of Hesitancy: How Culture, Stigma, and Distrust Impact the Health of Low-Income African American Men with Chronic Conditions
Disciplines
Medicine and Health | Race and Ethnicity
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Despite much research in chronic disease self-management, significant gaps in knowledge still exist, especially regarding vulnerable and underserved populations. More specifically, low-income African American men are disproportionately affected by chronic conditions. The critical intersections of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, geographic location, and multiple diagnoses strongly influence practical self-management skills and access to support systems. These influences further result in a hesitancy to seek treatment, manage conditions, and a distinct distrust in healthcare institutions. Moreover, stigma-related hesitancy is often cited as a reason for not seeking out appropriate healthcare amongst AA men. From internal stigma to external distrust, hesitancy plays an essential role in influencing healthcare-related behaviors. The purpose of the current project is to explore the elements of hesitancy within the context of a larger project aimed to develop culturally competent self-management programs for low-income AA men with chronic health conditions. As such, this project seeks to answer the following question: how do elements of hesitancy impact health? To examine this relationship, the current project will progress through three phases. First, an inductive thematic analysis with an essentialist approach will be conducted on previously transcribed focus groups with low-income AA men with chronic conditions. Based on the latent themes generated by their experiences, the second phase will develop an elements of hesitancy questionnaire. The last phase will involve collecting quantitative data to compare elements of hesitancy to self-reported healthcare-related outcomes. It is expected that certain elements of hesitancy will prove better predictors of health and healthcare-related behaviors than others.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Sociology & Criminal Justice
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr Evelina Sterling
Additional Faculty
Tyler Collette, Sociology, tcollet1@kennesaw.edu
Elements of Hesitancy: How Culture, Stigma, and Distrust Impact the Health of Low-Income African American Men with Chronic Conditions
Despite much research in chronic disease self-management, significant gaps in knowledge still exist, especially regarding vulnerable and underserved populations. More specifically, low-income African American men are disproportionately affected by chronic conditions. The critical intersections of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, geographic location, and multiple diagnoses strongly influence practical self-management skills and access to support systems. These influences further result in a hesitancy to seek treatment, manage conditions, and a distinct distrust in healthcare institutions. Moreover, stigma-related hesitancy is often cited as a reason for not seeking out appropriate healthcare amongst AA men. From internal stigma to external distrust, hesitancy plays an essential role in influencing healthcare-related behaviors. The purpose of the current project is to explore the elements of hesitancy within the context of a larger project aimed to develop culturally competent self-management programs for low-income AA men with chronic health conditions. As such, this project seeks to answer the following question: how do elements of hesitancy impact health? To examine this relationship, the current project will progress through three phases. First, an inductive thematic analysis with an essentialist approach will be conducted on previously transcribed focus groups with low-income AA men with chronic conditions. Based on the latent themes generated by their experiences, the second phase will develop an elements of hesitancy questionnaire. The last phase will involve collecting quantitative data to compare elements of hesitancy to self-reported healthcare-related outcomes. It is expected that certain elements of hesitancy will prove better predictors of health and healthcare-related behaviors than others.