Abstract

Cervical cancer, once a major killer of women, still remains a quiet threat to the lives of discreet populations within the United States. Women living in Appalachia are among those most vulnerable to this disease primarily due to lack of participation in screening programs. Despite efforts of government subsidized programs to educate, enroll and provide screening facilities throughout high-risk areas, unacceptable rates of inadequately screened women persist. Little is known about the reasons Appalachian women do not seek screening. The literature identifies sociodemographic data related to screening, and suggests that healthcare providers play a significant role in women's participation in screening programs. Little attention has been directed toward culturally-constructed attitudes and beliefs that influence a woman's decision to be screened, or how the interface between woman and provider affects screening behavior. This study utilized focused ethnography grounded in a feminist framework to uncover sociocultural themes influencing Appalachian women's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to cervical cancer screening.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3414227; ProQuest document ID: 733012986. The author still retains copyright.

Authors

Wendy D. Grube

Author Details

Wendy D. Grube, PhD, CRNP, FAAN

Sigma Membership

Xi

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Ethnography

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Appalacian Women, Rates of Cervical Cancer, Pap Smears

Advisor

Julie Fairman

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

University of Pennsylvania

Degree Year

2010

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2019-05-06

Full Text of Presentation

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