In Her Own Words

Previous research suggests that race, gender, and income impact health care access and outcomes for women. Based on the theory of fundamental causes, feminization of poverty, and systematic racism theory, this qualitative study examines the intersections of poverty and health concerns from the perspective of women (n=20) residing in areas of economic disadvantage. This qualitative study explored how minority female residents (N= 20) from an urban neighborhood of concentrated poverty perceived barriers to acquiring a healthy lifestyle. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed three themes impacting health care access and outcomes for participants: 1) underserved in the medical community, 2) under-resourced in the local community, and 3) under-represented in district policy-decision making. Implications include changing health care policies on both the local and state levels to improve women’s health care in low-income areas to address the structural barriers impeding their ability to seek health care and healthy behaviors.