Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Sociology
Date of Award
5-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Kelly Foster
Committee Members
Martha Copp, Melissa Schrift
Abstract
For decades, healthcare access and quality in central and southern Appalachia have trailed the rest of the country. Entrenched poverty and low educational attainment compound healthcare problems. This study examines the healthcare obstacles women encounter in southern and central Appalachia and analyzes how technology use, such as Internet searching and social media affect women’s healthcare decisions. Data were analyzed from four focus groups conducted with women from the region. Results indicate that seeing a physician or not did not influence women’s propensity to search the Internet for health-related information or to seek support through social media sites. Additionally, women reported facing many barriers including trust in local physicians, access, availability, cost, and quality of healthcare. These issues often impede women’s access to preventative care and place burdens on their health and an already strained healthcare system.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Cano, Ashley, "Women and Healthcare in Appalachia: Impeding Circumstance and the Role of Technology" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3057. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3057
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Community Health Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Health Information Technology Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Rural Sociology Commons, Women's Health Commons