- Primary Investigator:
Elaine M. Hernandez - Primary Location:
University of Minnesota - Grant Type & Year:
George Bennett Spring 2009
Purpose
This study combines an emerging approach in medical sociology that focuses on the importance of new health information and disease preventability with the bedrock of literature that describes the influence of social relationships on medical decision making. To examine the influence of new health information and social relationships, the study focuses on an empirical example: women who are pregnant for the first time and must navigate a plethora of new health information. This example will not only advance our knowledge about the processes that contribute to inequalities in health, it will also provide insight into decisions about behaviors that lead to unequal health among women and infants.
Findings
Preliminary findings reveal a new mechanism for the social reproduction of health inequalities. It seems that women’s behaviors are influenced by social learning and social influence processes, and that these processes are stratified by education level. For example, pregnant women with more education are more likely to discuss the H1N1 vaccine with people who agree that it is acceptable to receive the vaccine during pregnancy, and they are more likely to be vaccinated. The findings will not only advance our knowledge about the processes that contribute to inequalities in health, they will provide insight into decisions about health behaviors that lead to unequal health among women and infants.
