Research Methods for the Social and Behavioral Sciences

SBS 2000 ID

   By: Chala Amaya Jamison

 ABSTRACT 

         The health disparities in low income areas are very high when compared to wealthy areas. In low income areas healthy options are less accessible such as health food stores and gyms. This affects the health of people in low income areas. Low income areas have high crime rates and this affects the mental health of people of low income areas. This is also a stressor which affects the body, because of the fear and anxiety that people experience. The surveys, interviews, and graphs in this research paper will show this as well . Most minorities reside in low income areas. Wealthy areas you can find many health food stores, such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s,Vitamin shops and luxury gyms, such as New York Sports Club. The crime rate is less near wealthy areas. In wealthy areas it is very clean compared to low income areas. Wealthy environments give people the opportunity for success.

                                                      Introduction 

Residing in both wealthy areas and low income areas, there are noticeable differences.  If you were to take a walk through a low income area of Brooklyn on Troy Avenue and Bergen Street, one would see the Albany Housing Projects. In the Albany projects the crime rate is high. There have been first hand reports of crime. Some interviewees reported that the day before a cop had shot a person who was running with a gun out. Interviews also reviewed that the family who lived in the projects also knew a person who was shot for not having the money he bet in a dice game. The crime rate is very high in that area and it is low income. This can play and part in the lives of the people who live there and the amount of anxiety and stress that builds up. Many people who live in these areas have anxiety about crime and safety. Ongoing, chronic stress, however, can cause or exacerbate many serious health problems, including: mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke. 

Research Field (describe all neighborhoods)

   The research field included three main areas for comparison. Each of these neighborhoods varies in income level and diversity.  In the Chelsea neighborhood there are many healthy food places such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, GNC, and also a Vitamin Shop on 23 street and 8th avenue. The gym in the area is the New York Sports Club, which has many amenities such as a sauna to help you relax. There are also local fitness classes, such as boxing classes to help reduce stress and release your anger in a healthy way and many more stress relieving activities such as dancing, zumba and more. This also positively affects people’s state of mind when you are able to express yourself in a healthy way and able to eat well it is better for individuals.  Albany projects have a school near the housing building . It also has three deli stores in the area . There are no health food stores nearby. It is a 99 cent store about a 8 minute walk away in the neighborhood , another deli and a fast food crown fried chicken store .  It is also a supermarket approximately a 18 minute walk  away though the supermarket doesn’t have natural foods most of the food have many chemicals in the ingredients. In Central Harlem there are corner stores near the area .  There are also supermarkets in the supermarket. The only products are Goya products , The supermarket has processed foods such as gmo and artificial ingredients. Though if you walk a few there is a fine fare they have artificial foods and also have a section of organic foods . 

Literature Review (any research, quotes that support your idea)

In the low income areas there are not any organic health stores near. It is mostly deli’s and fast food service restaurants nearby. They have a super market at least a twenty minute walk from the building. The supermarket that is near does not have fresh foods most the food is processed with gmo and many ingredients. That is not giving people in low income areas the resources to be healthy. Race also plays a part in this when the majority of the people who live in the projects and low income areas are minorities. In the projects it is mostly African American and some Hispanic families. Lower-income children experience higher rates of asthma, heart conditions, hearing problems, digestive disorders, and elevated blood lead levels. “In 2006–08, the prevalence of asthma was 8.2 percent among non poor children but 11.7 percent among poor children and 23.3 percent among poor Hispanic children. “ (Hudson,  2005) Poor children also have more risk factors for disease, such as childhood obesity, which is a strong predictor of obesity as an adult. ” According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health , an estimated 9.8 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. had a serious mental illness, including 2.5 million adults living below the poverty line. Serious mental illness defined in NSDUH as adults who in the past year have had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder excluding developmental and substance use disorders of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria and has resulted in serious functional impairment substantially interferes with major life activities. Adults aged 26 or older living below the poverty line were more likely to experience serious mental illness than those living at and above the poverty line 7.5 percent vs. 4.1 and 3.1 percent, respectively. “ ( Hudson,2005) The percentage of young adults with serious mental illness was similar in each of the  levels of poverty.

It is shown in surveys that income is also associated with mental health. “Compared with people from families who earn more than $100,000 a year, those with family incomes below $35,000 a year are four times more likely to report being nervous and five times more likely to report sadness all or most of the time”. (Hudson2005)  Complaints such as the pain and other physical ailments that people experience due to stress and depression  are more common  among people with less income.

Serious mental illness also causes crime to go up as well . “Persons in poor households had higher rates of stranger 12.3 per 1,000 and nonstrangers were more with 24.2 per 1,000 violence compared to persons at all other poverty levels. The rate of intimate partner violence for persons in poor households (8.1 per 1,000) was almost double the rate for low-income persons 4.3 per 1,000 and almost four times the rate for high-income person (2.1 per 1,000).The overall pattern of persons in poor households having the highest rates of violent victimization was consistent for poor non-Hispanic white households (46.4 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic black households (43.4 per 1,000). However, the rate of violent victimization for Hispanics did not vary across poverty levels. Poor whites (56.4 per 1,000) and poor blacks (51.3 per 1,000) in urban households had higher rates of violence than persons in all other types of households.” (Mateusz F. 2011) Violence against persons in poor 51 percent and low-income 50 percent households was more likely to be reported to police than violence against persons in mid 43 percent and high 45 percent income households. This pattern of lower reporting of violence among mid- and high-income households held true for whites but not for minorities . Many people who live in low income areas want to leave due to this reason.

Methodology 

The qualitative approach 

  The people of the low income area in the survey results where they did not feel safe in their community they felt they had a high crime rate and there was not any access to health food stores in the area and it was difficult to travel to gyms . Also their neighborhood is polluted.  The survey also reported that when they can get to a health food store it is expensive. 

 In high income areas the people felt safer than low income areas. It is available at health food stores and gyms . Health food is affordable, survey says . In the interview of the person that lives in Harlem  with low income states “In this neighborhood there has been a lot of Gentrification. Years ago there were a bunch of blacks and Dominicans who lived here and shopped here in the supermarkets. In the supermarkets there were only goya products, now if you go in fine fare the products are different varieties they also cater to people who eat healthy and shop for organic products. The produce in this area is also fresher. Compared from then to now you see more gay people more who don’t mind being open, you also see more transgenders. Back then they weren’t as open, and you rarely would see them. Over the years more caucasians have moved over here as well. Also there has been mass improvement in the quality of food. It has changed in a great way. 

The quantitative approach included,

There are 14 fresh food stores in the Chelsea area 23 street  Bergen Street there are exactly two supermarkets with a fruit area . In Chelsea area 23 street there are 6gyms in the area. Bergen street area is none when I counted . This is clear to see that Chelsea has better health food than Bergen street and this is due to the income of the people of the area and government input on funding for the area . The health food affects the body and emotions of individuals.In low Income areas there are not many things for people to do to release stress . Many adults from low Income areas  with mental illness face difficulties if they are living in poverty. Adults with mental illness that are living in poverty may face higher health care costs, decreased productivity, and poor general health. This is also a reason why people with low income do not get help mentally due to the cost. 

                                                                 Results

The results of this research showed that there is a difference in Chelsea 23 street and Bergen street.

After walking down the street in Chelsea, there were at least 15 fresh food stores, vitamin shops and gyms.

After walking on Bergen Street, there were only two fresh food stores.After giving the survey, it was found that in wealthy areas there are more health food stores and more safe than low income areas . The pie chart shows the amount of income levels in both high and low income areas . (appendix2).The bar graph shows people with income levels of each surveyed individual (appendix2). 

                                                    Conclusion 

After researching this topic it showed that income disparity is affecting people’s health. For example the survey that was conducted by ten people that lived in lower income areas, such as in Brooklyn reported there were not a lot of health food stores in their area and they had to travel to access them. Low income areas do not have easy access to resources that can improve their health and quality of life and this affects some individuals’ health. In the survey people in low income areas report their neighborhood is not safe. Low income neighborhoods and neighborhoods with large minority populations are not given the same opportunities for change and improvement. In areas that are less diverse or higher in income there is a difference. The government purposely keeps minorities in an environment where minorities are set to fail, be involved with crime, and not be provided with quality education. Governments allow minorities to have limited access to health food stores in their low income neighborhood and allows  minorities to reside in an environment where violence continues to affect physical mental health.  

Appendix Appendix Fig, 1:

 Research Field

Appendix 2: Quantitative Results

Survey Bar Graph – represents the income levels of each surveyed individual

Scatter Graph – Amount of healthcare and health services 

Pie Chart 

QUALITATIVE SURVEY 

Questions	Answer Choices
In my neighborhood healthy food is	Never Available  Sometimes Available  Always Available
My  environment  is	Very polluted Polluted Sometimes Clean Always Clean
I find that healthy food in my neighborhood is	Extremely Expensive  Expensive Somewhat Expensive  Affordable  Very Affordable
My commute to the gym is	Very Easy Easy  Somewhat Easy Difficult  Very Difficult
In my neighborhood vitamin shops are	Never Av Sometimes Available  Always Available
I believe my neighborhood is	Very UnsafeUnsafeSometimes SafeSafeVery Safe
The crime rate in in my neighborhood is	Very HighHighSomewhat High Low Very Low
My neighborhood is	Mostly low incomeLow incomeMiddle class incomeHigh IncomeVery High Income

                               Appendix 3: Informed Consent Form 

 Informed Consent Form:  Are low income able to maintain the same health as high income individuals ? 

    My name is Chala and I am a social researcher and professional management consultant based in New York City. The purpose of this project is to establish a full-fledged assessment for improvement, enhancement, and celebration of the impact on health based on individuals income initiative and care at City Tech campus in Brooklyn.

    I would like to interview you as part of this study. This interview will last about one hour and, with your permission, will be digitally-recorded. I do not expect that you run any risk from participating in this research. Although this study will not benefit you personally, I hope that the results will add to our knowledge about the value of people who lead, volunteer, and participate in these ministries and their community as a whole. 

Confidentiality: 

        Your participation in this research is completely confidential. Although interviews will be recorded for later review, reports will not include participants’ names or any identifying information. Recordings will be identified only by an assigned ID number and will be destroyed after 1 year. It is completely anonymous. No information gleaned from this study will attach your name to the findings. A pseudonym may be used in the final report and presentations. 

Voluntary Participation: Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You are free to decline to participate, to end participation at any time for any reason, or to refuse to answer any individual question. You will receive a copy of this consent form. 

Questions: If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or concerns about the conduct of this study, you may contact, Chala.Jamison@mail.citytech.cuny.edu.

Agreement to Participate: 

I have read the above information, have had the  opportunity to have any questions about this study answered, and agree to participate in this study.

(printed name)__________________ (date)______ 

(signature)_____________ 

Researcher: Dr. Jamison XYZ Consulting Services 

Email Chala.Jamison@mail.citytech.cuny.edu Cellular phone 347-319-1274

References

Hudson, C.G. (2005). Socioeconomic Status & Mental Illness: Tests of the Social Causation and Selection Hypotheses. American J of Orthopsychiatry, 75(1), 3-18.

Stevens, Ann Huff, Miller, Marianne E. Page, and Mateusz Filipski. 2011. “The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: Understanding Pro-cyclical Mortality.” NBER Working Paper No. 17657. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w17657. 

 Office for National Statistics, UK The National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC). Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/classifications/current/ns-sec/index.html. Accessed July 17, 2009