Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2022

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Anne Cafer

Second Advisor

Lynn Woo

Third Advisor

Georgianna Mann

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This thesis investigated the level of accessibility to prenatal care in rural Mississippi areas and how this affects or has affected Mississippi’s high rates of unfavorable birth outcomes. The research questions included specifically looked at how lack of prenatal care in rural areas of Mississippi plays a role, if any, in extremely high rates of unfavorable birth outcomes as well as what policy can be implemented to expand education regarding unfavorable birth outcomes. To understand the effects of accessibility and eligibility of rural women’s health care, seven women were interviewed. Interviews were conducted with these women who met the criteria of having given birth within the last twenty-four months to an infant who experienced one or several unfavorable birth outcome(s). Each woman expressed concerns and potential solutions regarding their prenatal care and women's health care experiences. This research found common themes among each woman’s experiences, pooling from three different areas in Mississippi: the Clarksdale area, the Oxford area, and the Madison area. This study’s findings suggest that policy and additional funding targeting rural specialized health care as well as consistent policy across prenatal education could be beneficial for Mississippi rural areas.

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