Jane is a 22-year-old and an HIV positive single mother living in the slums located on the outskirts of the Chicago state. Jane was born to the African American parents who came to the U.S. in search of better living. When she was fifteen, her parents divorced based on the abusive marriage her mother was enslaved in prompting her to stay with her mum. Life later became unbearable for the two, hence, the need to live in the slum where the majority were African Americans. It was in this region that Jane met her boyfriend who was older than her. However, her boyfriend left her when he found out about Jane’s pregnancy which was further confirmed to be accompanied by the presence of the HIV virus.
Jane believes that the prevalence of the disease in the slum is attributed to the low level of education, poverty, health disparity, and myths surrounding the condition. Poor education standards and misconception such as sex with a virgin cure AIDS promote the disease prevalence. Similarly, health disparities and inadequate infrastructural developments hinder access to the health facilities. Jane argues that many people in the slum seek the help of traditional healers when sick a practice valued by the slum populace. The main reason I chose Jane is that she is an African American single mother residing in a slum and is infected with the HIV virus. This enables me to have a wider scope of the cross-cultural health-related issues.
Summary of Interviewee Story
Based on Jane’s story, there is a high prevalence of teen pregnancy and various ailments such as HIV/AIDS in the slum. Divorce and abusive marriages is a major issue in this region due to the significant level of poverty. However, the occurrence of the HIV virus is enhanced by different factors such as misconceptions, poverty, and unawareness of its causes. Myths such as having sex with a virgin help to cure AIDS is a primary element that promotes the virus. This leads to the increased rate of the illness among the youths and higher incidences of rape cases. Similarly, poverty also facilitates the occurrence of the virus as the majority of teens engage in prostitution as a mode of income.
Identified Health Issues
From Jane’s story, I can conclude that people living in the slums face numerous health-related issues. The high prevalence of poverty and low education level among the youths are the major factors promoting the occurrence of diseases. Similarly, various misconceptions surrounding HIV/AIDs help to promote its prevalence (Mondal, Hoque, Chowdhury " Hossain, 2015). Teenage pregnancy is greater in the slum areas due to the lack of awareness on safe sex among the adolescents. Malnutrition is a challenge because of the inability to afford healthy diets by most of the families.
Recommendation for Health Practitioners, Educators, and Policy Developers
Based on the interviewee story, various factors need to be put into consideration to enhance quality care and averting occurrence of diseases in the slum. Developing policies that aim at improving the slum settlement will lead to enhanced health outcomes due to easy access to safe water and clean energy (Banerjee, Bhawalkar, Jadhav, Rathod " Khedkar, 2012). Programs that focus on providing quality education among individuals in the informal settlements help to reduce the poverty index as most youths will eventually have a reliable source of income. Engaging communities by forming women groups and involving health educators to promote awareness on teen pregnancy will aid in enhancing girl empowerment (Corburn " Sverdlik, 2017). Policies that target child health practices like vaccination, breastfeeding, and nutrition needs to be established as it assists in protecting children from infections.
The Major Take Away from the Interviewee’s Story
The major take from the interviewee’s story is that culture plays a significant role in averting provision of quality interventions. For instance, use of traditional healers when seeking health support prevents the majority of the populace from attaining eminence care from the approved medical physicians. This has made many individuals have various misconceptions about certain diseases such as HIV/AIDs which have significantly impede programs that aim at reducing the prevalence of the ailment.
Interview Questions
Overview
Where is your current place of residence?
How does your current place of residence influence the health status of the people in that area?
What is the level of education and living standards of the people in your area?
What is your current occupation?
Communication
What is the dominant language in your area?
Family Roles and Organization
What are the roles of children and adolescents?
Does the community accept single parenting?
Workforce Elements
What are some of the medical care behaviors associated with your race?
High-risk Practices
What are some of the activities that expose the populace to diseases?
Nutrition
Does the community have easy access to healthy food?
Is the food available to satisfy the family?
Healthcare Practices
How do people in this area pursue preventive or acute interventions?
What are some of the hiccups to quality care?
Medical Care Practitioners
What are some of the practitioners used by the slum community?
Does the physician gender play a role in treatment?
What is the practitioner’s status in the community?
References
Banerjee, A., Bhawalkar, J. S., Jadhav, S. L., Rathod, H., " Khedkar, D. T. (2012). Access to Health Services among Slum Dwellers in an Industrial Township and Surrounding Rural Areas: A Rapid Epidemiological Assessment. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 1(1), 20. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3893946/
Corburn, J., " Sverdlik, A. (2017). Slum Upgrading and Health Equity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(4), 342. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2039756/
Mondal, M. N. I., Hoque, N., Chowdhury, M. R. K., " Hossain, M. S. (2015). Factors associated with misconceptions about HIV transmission among ever-married women in Bangladesh. Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases, 68(1), 13-19. Retrieved from: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/yoken/68/1/68_JJID.2013.323/_article/-char/ja/
