My Personal Research Journey

Although many times in the past, I’ve had to conduct research on various topics, the last two weeks of this class has shown me the correct way to do so. Reading through last week’s and this week’s resources has shown me to not just look up a subject and write about it, but to read about the topic and make sure I understand it before beginning to write.  Changing careers from business to early childhood has opened my eyes in different ways. For example, in business I would read something and write about it and may have to explain it every now and then. With Early Childhood, I now have to understand the concept and be able to apply it.

The topic I chose for the simulation is poverty as it relates to the wellness of early childhood students and their families. I decided on this topic because it is often kept a secret because I believe some people are afraid of the truth and ashamed to ask for help when they need it the most. In actuality, people with low incomes, particularly those who live in poverty, face particular challenges in maintaining their health. They are more likely than those with higher incomes to become ill, and to die at younger ages (Lillie-Blanton, Martinez, Lyons, and Rowland, (2000). They are also more likely to live in poor environmental situations with limited health care resources—factors that can compromise health status and access to care. 

In doing some extensive research on the topic, I gained some interesting insights such as according to the Census Bureau, in 1999:

• 16.9 percent of all children and 18 percent of children under age six lived in poverty, versus 10 percent of adults.
• Minority racial and ethnic groups are much more likely to live in poverty—23.6 percent of blacks and 22.8 percent of Hispanics lived below the poverty level, versus 7.7 percent of whites.
• Female-headed households (with no husband present) are much more likely than married couple families to live in poverty (27.8% versus 4.8%); with black and Hispanic female-headed households having the highest poverty rates (39.3% and 38.8%, respectively).
• In my local area, according to U.S. Census Bureau (2012), individuals and families below the poverty level in years 2000 and 2009 in the State of Louisiana were 862 (in thousands) in 2000 and 755 in 2009 for individuals, whereas 182 in 2000 and 150 in 2009 for families.

I look forward to continuing my research on this topic. I look forward to getting insights from my fellow colleagues and classmates with any information on this topic that will help me in the long run. I can say that it looks like each time I begin the research, I find even more interesting facts that are broadening my knowledge on the subject.

Resources

Dalaker, J., and Proctor, B. D. (2000). Poverty in the United States, 1999. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series P60–210. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Lillie-Blanton, M., Martinez, R. M., Lyons, B., and Rowland, D. (2000). Access to Health Care: Promises and Prospects for Low-Income Americans. Washington, DC: The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

U.S. Census Bureau Statistical Abstract of the United States. (2012). Income, Expenditures, Poverty, and Wealth. Louisiana. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov