The Social Production of Reproductive Health Disparities

This dissertation study was driven by the research question: "Are reproductive health beliefs and behaviors shaped by categories of race and/or class?" In this work, I put into practice methods from both anthropology and epidemiology, ranging from cultural consensus analysis and QAP regression analysis to ethnographic observations. I found that neither race nor class were culturally distinct categories in the domain of healthy pregnancy behaviors and beliefs. What did matter in influencing patterns of belief were close relationships.;I conducted this study on a sample of women between the ages of 18-35 in Atlanta, GA. Among this sample, having a bad relationship with one's father influenced the cultural model of health a woman holds. Having a good relationship with one's mother predicted one's ability to do what they think is important during pregnancy. Feeling connected with one's community and not being obese going into pregnancy also predicted this. Having a good relationship with one's mother also predicted the amount of stressors one encountered during pregnancy. Having a good relationship with one's partner also predicted this. Finally, all of these associations exist even when compared against a number of demographic, physical, and behavioral context factors including race. I hope to use these findings to further support the inclusion of social and anthropological theory into the development of complex epidemiological models in order to better understand disparities in health behaviors, beliefs, and outcomes.