The MI-PHOTOS Project

Understanding the Health and Wellbeing of Rural Historically Marginalized Mothers Through Photovoice

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21650554
AutoresKatherine LeMasters (0000-0002-1754-1730, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Sarah E Bledsoe (0000-0001-8787-6125, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Jada L Brooks (0000-0002-7140-3566, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jada Brooks (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Stephanie Chavis (Robeson County Health Department, Lumberton, NC, USA), Erica Little (The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC, USA), Kim Pevia (KAP Inner Prizes, Red Springs, NC, USA), Leah Daniel (0000-0002-0938-3699, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Kiva Jordan (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Ann Schindler (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Alexandra F Lightfoot (0000-0002-9681-5081, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), The MI-PHOTOS Project
Año2022
Volumen49
Número5
Páginas828-837
Fecha de publicación2022-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHealth Education & Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1090-1981 • E-ISSN: 1552-6127
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10901981211057095
PMID34963367
OpenAlexW4200319411
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas49

Despite the persistent health inequities faced by rural women in the United States, few researchers have partnered with women in rural communities to co-create sustainable change. To fill this gap, Mothers Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Outcomes Through stOry Sharing (MI-PHOTOS) employed a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach by partnering with mothers, community leaders, and community-based organizations in Robeson County, North Carolina, a rural, racially diverse county. The project’s aims were (a) to promote maternal health by listening to mothers’ stories of having and raising children in their community and (b) to develop a shared understanding of these mothers’ strengths and challenges. MI-PHOTOS utilized photovoice, an exploratory and qualitative CBPR methodology. Grounded theory guided data analysis. During photovoice discussions, conversation focused on maternal experiences and evoked strengths, facilitators, and barriers impacting maternal health. Themes focused on (a) MI-PHOTOS serving as a social support group for the community and family stressors that mothers faced and (b) the necessity of professional support programs. Three overarching findings emerged during this process: (a) MI-PHOTOS as an informal support group, (b) mental health stigmatization, and (c) the need to bridge home visiting programs with peer and confidential therapeutic services. Future work should incorporate mothers’ and communities’ strengths into program development by drawing on existing home visiting programs, identifying opportunities for peer-support, and creating referral networks for individual, confidential therapeutic services. Through continued community partnership, we can generate fuller understandings of mothers’ experiences of having and raising children and ultimately promote health equity among rural mothers

Community health · Community-based participatory research · Confidentiality · Economic growth · Health equity · Mental health · Participatory action research · Photovoice · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Nursing · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Psychology