By completing this module, students will be able to:
● Extract key socio-economic and demographic information from the American Community Survey
● Use theory to guide data collection and analysis
● Examine health disparities in the U.S. by using real data
● Test hypotheses using quantitative data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Community Survey
● Interlink summary report from two nationally representative datasets
This exercise is aimed at higher college levels and beyond. Students should have a fundamental understanding of the nature of dependent, independent, and control variables. Students majoring in health-related and social science disciplines can benefit from this assignment. The results of the study can be tailored as a policy-informing report.
In this exercise, students learn to organize data into a coherent story by applying Gelberg-Andersen’s behavioral model to investigate health disparities in accessing to care from two different geographic locations in the United States. The Gelberg-Andersen’s behavioral model will be introduced to the students first. Students will then select an aggregate population from each of two geographic locations to compare their access to care by looking into the impact of relevant factors described in Andersen’s behavioral model. To complete the assignment, students will need to create a diagram with the identified variables listed and present the results.