Effects of Gentrification on the Late Stages of Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
| Start Date | Stop Date |
|---|---|
| October 2006 | March 2008 |
Overview
Preliminary studies of gentrification conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago found that in census tracts where owner-occupied housing values rose from below to above the median value between 1990 and 2000 (a preliminary definition of gentrification), Latinas and African American women experienced significantly higher rate of late-stage diagnosis of breast cancer than women in census tracts that remained poor, remained affluent or where housing declined in value. CURL will be working with UIC to conduct focus groups with community members in gentrifying and non-gentrifying Chicago neighborhoods to determine if gentrification is disrupting the availability of local medical care, affecting residents' social networks, contributing to stress felt by these residents, or placing additional financial demands on them that result in cutbacks in their usage of medical facilities.
Goals:
The focus group findings will be used to suggest new variables or data sources researchers can use in statistical analysis of the causes of late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and to help community groups form strategies to help local residents find and use medical services as neighborhoods gentrify.
Community:
Chicago-Wide
Funding:
University of Illinois Chicago, funded by the Chicago Center of Excellence in Health Promotion Economics
| Project Team |
|---|
| Phil Nyden, Director (CURL) |
| Dick Barrett, UIC Department of Sociology |
| Michelle Manno, UIC graduate assistant |
| Julie Davis, University:Community Research Coordinator(CURL) |
| Audra Passinault, Undergraduate Fellow (CURL) |