University of Michigan-Flint

Faculty Name:  Peggy Kahn

Department:  Political Science/Public Administration

Campus Address:  220 French Hall

Email:  pegkahn@umflint.edu

Phone:  810-762-3471

Project Description:  This ethnographic project attempts to document the barriers to dental care for low-income children in Genesee County and the consequences of delayed care or lack of access to treatment.  Dental care for children has been identified as a serious unmet need in low-income communities.  The project will begin by identifying and locating dental resources which exist for children in low-income families in the County, through interviews with community-based health administrators, planners and providers, as well as by collecting relevant policy data. The project will focus upon approximately 20 low-income families with children 6-14 years old and caregivers' accounts of the nature and importance of children's oral health, their experiences of dental treatment for their children, and the consequences of delayed care or inaccessible treatment.  Caregiver participants will be recruited from educational settings, health clinics, and low-wage workplaces. Semi-structured ethnographic interviews will form the basis for narratives and thematic analysis.  I will conduct 2 semi-structured 60-90 minute interviews per family over the course of a year, recording and transcribing interviews and using interviews as the basis for narrative construction and qualitative thematic analysis. In addition, I will organize a focus group of dental health care providers in the community in order to ascertain their interpretations of the barriers to low-income children’s care and oral health and consequences of delayed or inaccessible treatment, as well as to solicit their institutional and policy suggestions. The project’s purposes and objectives are to raise the profile of dental needs and oral health in local community discussions; to bring into the policy discussion the voices and experiences of low-income caregivers; to document barriers to care; to support state-level policies to increase access; and to document and increase awareness of this issue for a variety of academic and practice audiences.

Semesters Desired:  Fall 2011 AND Winter 2012

GSRA Position Description:  GSRA will at minimum be asked to assist with accurate transcription of the long, semi-structured interviews. There may additional project administration tasks.

Specific Day/Time Requirements:  Flexible

Special Requirements:  Basic transcription skills; basic understanding of and interest in life circumstances of low-income families;  ability to maintain confidentiality; interest in qualitative social research; basic library/computer research skills.

Graduate Students in These Programs May Apply:  Health Education (MS); Liberal Studies (MLS); Public Administration (MPA); Public Health (MPH); Social Sciences (MA)