Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Women in Nicaragua experience significant health disparities, including decreased access to family planning and high rates of domestic violence. The Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua is a region unique to and relatively isolated from the rest of the country. Bluefields is the largest city and political seat of the Region Autonoma Atlantico Sur (R.A.A.S.) and is home to the region's only hospital. Each of the six ethnic groups living in the R.A.A.S. (Mestizo, Creole, Garlfuna, Rama, Sumu, and Miskitu) has different healthcare experiences. The Creole population on the Atlantic Coast is predominantly located in and around Bluefields. Of the literature available relating to women's health in Nicaragua, the vast majority discusses the Mestiza ethnic group exclusively. There is currently limited research describing the health and health care experiences of Creole women in Nicaragua, as well as a lack of disaggregated data on health outcomes for each of the ethnic groups living in Bluefields. Preliminary data suggests that Creole women have different health experiences than the predominant Mestiza women in the Region. Thus, this proposed phenomenological descriptive study will explore the experiences of this vulnerable population. Group interviews, photovoice techniques, and follow-up semi-structured interviews will be used to explore the health experiences of childbearing/childrearing aged Creole women (15-45 years old) living in Bluefields. This study will increase understanding of health disparities and vulnerabilities related to culture, gender and economic status from an international perspective. Findings have the potential to facilitate the understanding of health care practitioners and public health program planners in Bluefields to barriers Creole women perceive in accessing health care there, and add to general and world wide understanding of how gender and minority status interact with healthcare.
The specific aim of this proposed study is to increase understanding of health disparities and inequities related to culture, gender and socioeconomic status in childbearing/childrearing aged Creole women in Bluefields, Nicaragua.
| Mitchell, Emma McKim; Steeves, Richard; Dillingham, Rebecca (2015) Cruise ships and bush medicine: globalization on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua and effects on the health of Creole women. Public Health Nurs 32:237-45 |
| Mitchell, Emma McKim; Steeves, Richard (2012) The Acceptability of Clean Delivery Kits on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua: A Focused Ethnography. Hisp Health Care Int 10:36-41 |
