Special Feature: Health Disparities ResearchUsing Ecological Models in Research on Health Disparities
Section snippets
Ecology of Human Development
Bronfenbrenner (1977) uses his theory to examine a child's human development. In this theory, human development is examined by focusing on three aspects: (1) an individual's perspective of the environment; (2) the environment surrounding that individual; and (3) the dynamic interaction between the individual and the environment. Thus, development is defined as an ongoing change in the way a person perceives and deals with or adapts to the environment. Bronfenbrenner's theoretical thinking
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is another theoretical model that is adapted for the conceptual models used in our studies. The classic view of epidemiology is the study of how diseases are distributed in a population and the determinants of those diseases (Mausner & Kramer, 1985). Epidemiology is concerned with the environmental conditions, lifestyles, and other factors that are associated with the presence or absence of a disease (Valanis, 1992). These factors (the agent, the host, and the environment) are
Ecological Model of Growth
Two studies of child growth (Reifsnider, 1995, Reifsnider et al., 2000) were directed toward reducing stunted growth in toddlers and determining factors associated with childhood overweight. Both studies were guided by the ecological model of growth (Figure 2), which was created by Reifsnider, with input from Gallagher, from three existing frameworks: ecology of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1977); epidemiology (Mausner & Kramer, 1985, Valanis, 1992); and the child health assessment
Ecological Model for Adolescent Maternal–Fetal Attachment
Adolescent development is composed of interactions of integrated levels of organizations and connections among biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. These interactions are dynamic and reciprocal. Rubin's (1984) developmental tasks of pregnancy involve the integration of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. It seems logical, therefore, that a pregnant adolescent will integrate levels of organizations and her changing internal and external environments to attach
Ecology of Child High-Level Wellness
The ecology of child high-level wellness conceptual framework (see Figure 4) is an adaptation of Reifsnider's (1998) ecological model of growth. Both of these models integrate the epidemiological triangle model and the ecology of human development theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The distinction between the models is that the ecological model of growth examines physical growth in preschool children, whereas the ecology of child high-level wellness conceptual framework aims to explore various
Discussion and Conclusions
Health disparities are the differences that occur by sex, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Research directed at reducing health disparities needs to be based on a thorough understanding of how and where the disparities occur. Any group exhibiting significant disparities in the overall rate of disease incidence and prevalence, morbidity and mortality, and survival rates as
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by NIH/NINR 5R29NR4882 (first author), an NIH/NINR National Research Service Award Predoctoral Fellowship (second author), and a Texas Department of Health Innovation Grant (first author).
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