Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 15:39:55 -0500
From: "Dale  D. Chitwood" <dchitwood@miami.edu>
Subject: Re: Request for comments
In-reply-to: <9802258884.AA888457803@gvsu.edu>
To: MedSoc@csf.colorado.edu
Message-id: <3.0.1.32.19980227153955.0068c250@umiami.ir.miami.edu>
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At 05:47 PM 2/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>     Feb 24, 1998
>     
>     Hello.  I'm a doctoral student in Sociology at Michigan State 
>     University; major:  Health and Well Being.  Research emphasis:  
>     perceived barriers to health care by women in prostitution.
>     
>     I'm looking for comments and information about:
>     
>        - Health Belief Model, including Bandura's self-efficacy concept.   
>          If socio-structural issues are included, is the "perceived        
>          barriers" component a reasonable framework to use for a           
>          qualitative study/survey or women in prostitution?
>     
>        - comments about the medical construction of gender
>     
>        - comments about medicalization of women's bodies
>     
>        - critiques of Ehrenreich and English's "For Her Own Good:  150     
>          Years of Experts' Advice to Women" and on Doyal's "What Makes     
>          Women Sick?"
>     
>        - comments and critiques about what's right and what's wrong with   
>          prostitution 
>     
>     Thanks.
>
>
>Gayla, In addition to the obvious barriers  such as ability to pay, you
may want to examine factors associated with other lifestyle activities that
may compete with health care for the time of some of your study
participants.  For example, persons who are involved in sustained use of
cocaine and or heroin (which may include some of the population you are
studying) may postpone health care for more immediate demands on their time
such as work and coping and using drugs.  In a preliminary analysis of
health services utilization by illicit drug users and non-users we have
found that procrastination seems to be independently related to utilization
and failure to obtain needed care, after ability to pay, health status, and
demographics are controlled.  Some users report that they are able to defer
a health care need until it reaches a stage that will get them immediate
attention at an ER. If you are interested, I could send you a paper based
upon our preliminary data analysis. 
Have you thought about using a research design that includes women who
engage in prostitution with a comparison group of women who are not
involved in prostitution.  This comparison would give you the ability to
examine the role of prostitution more directly. 
Good luck!
-Dale


Dale D. Chitwood
Health Services Research Center
University of Miami
5665 Ponce deLeon Blvd  (0719)
Coral Gables, FL 33146-0719