Online Program

286018
Community and environmental resilience through the lens of culture


Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

A biopsychosocial model will provide a tailored multi-perspective approach to characterize, within a region that has experienced successive disasters during the past 7 years, the proximal and distal effects of adversity on maternal health, maternal-child relationships, and infant development. During this time, the environmental stressors of Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Rita(2005), Gustav (2008) and Isaac (2012), as well as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010), have caused significant physical/structural damage and psychological distress in rural areas already characterized by high levels of poverty and limited access to healthcare. A plethora of research exists exploring why some individuals and communities are able to maintain better functionality in the face of external stressors; however none focus on the unique Gulf Coast cultural diversity and parents' experiences navigating cumulative environmental stressors while caring for their children. This study, Gulf Coast Cultural Influences on Maternal and Child Health: Influence of Prenatal Stress, Culture, and Attachment on Epigenetic Factors, is part of a larger investigation of the Transdisciplinary Research Consortium for Gulf Resilience on Women's Health(GROWH).

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe a biopsychosocial approach to measuring the effects of cumulative stressors. Assess the role of culture in community resilience. Discuss cultural influences on maternal and child health.

Keyword(s): Disasters, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conduct research on environmental health policy; community-based participatory health disparities; disaster preparedness; and health systems. I serve as Chair of Environmental Policy at Tulane Univ.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.