Building Healthy Communities in the DR | Undergraduate Research and Study Abroad to the Dominican Republic| Clemson University

Welcome to my blog on “Building Healthier Communities in the Dominican Republic“! This is an undergraduate research and study abroad Creative Inquiry through Clemson University.

Led by Dr. Moore de Peralta, the Building Healthy Communities Creative Inquiry is an interdisciplinary, holistic effort dedicated to improving the health of Las Malvinas, a poverty-stricken community in the Dominican Republic (DR).

Low-income and low-resourced communities face many health-related challenges that inhibit their development. In order to build healthier communities, collaborative public health services and programs within the community are needed.

In our creative inquiry, we are researching the community of Las Malvinas II in Santo Domingo, a low resourced community in the Dominican Republic. Based on previous research from UNIBE university students in the DR and available public health data, we culturally and linguistically adapted CDC’s CHANGE guide to conduct a Community Health Assessment (CHA) and to develop a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) in Las Malvinas.

In Fall 2015, we developed a survey based on potential socio-cultural factors and geographically-specific features that contribute to health in the DR. The next semester of the project included preparation for the team’s trip to Las Malvinas, as well as the development of a GPS-based application that pairs survey responses to a location on a map.

Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis:

Qualitative Data Collection: Interviews, Focus Group
Quantitative Data Collection: GIS Survey

CHANGE sectors we focus on: Community At Large Sector, Community Institution/Organization (CIO) Sector, Health care sector, School sector, Work sector

Community Health Priorities we focus on: education, unwanted pregnancies, vaccine preventable diseases, chronic diseases, sanitation

This experience has further improved my cultural competence, critical thinking skills, and has allowed me to develop evidence-based learning skills to conduct research beyond my creative inquiry class.

Departments: The main departments this project pulls from at Clemson are the Department of Youth, Family, and Community Studies, as well as the Department of Languages, specifically Spanish. Dr. Moore, the program leader, works in both departments. Both departments have been crucial in the success of this creative inquiry