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eBook/Digital Version available from:
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Score: 94 |
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| Maternal Health and American Cultural Values: Beyond the Social Determinants |
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Doody's Core Title (2025 Edition)
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| Score(s): |
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2.13
(Nursing - Maternal/Child)
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ISBN: 978-3031239687,
215 pages,
Hard Cover
ISBN-10: 3031239687 |
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| Copyright: |
2023 |
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| Edition: |
1st |
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| Editor: |
Anderson, Barbara A., DrPH, CNM, FACNM, FAAN; Roberts, Lisa R., DrPH, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN |
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Specialties:
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Public Health
, Maternal/Child |
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| Publisher: |
Springer |
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| Series Title: |
Global Maternal and Child Health |
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| List Price: |
$119.99 |
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At A Glance
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This book uniquely explores American cultural values as a factor in maternal health. It looks beyond the social determinants of health as primarily contributing to the escalating maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. The United States is an outlier with poor maternal health outcomes and high morbidity/mortality in comparison to other high-resource and many mid-level resource nations. While the social determinants of health identify social and environmental conditions affecting maternal health, they do not answer the broader underlying question of why many American women, in a high-resource environment, experience poor maternal health outcomes. Frequent near-misses, high levels of severe childbearing-related morbidity, and high maternal mortality are comparable to those of lower-resource nations.This book includes contributions from recognized medical and cultural anthropologists, and diverse clinical and public health professionals. The authors examine American patterns of decision-making from the perspectives of intersecting social, cultural, and medical values influencing maternal health outcomes. Using an interdisciplinary critical analysis approach, the work draws upon decision-making theory and life course theory. Topics explored include:Cultural values as a basis for decision-makingSocial regard for motherhoodImmigrants, refugees and undocumented mothersCultural conflicts and maternal autonomyHealth outcomes among justice-involved mothersMaternal Health and American Cultural Values: Beyond the Social Determinantsis an essential resource for clinical and public health practitioners and their students, providing a framework for graduate-level courses in public health, the health sciences, women's studies, and the social sciences. The book also targets anthropologists, sociologists, and women studies scholars seeking to explain the links between American cultural decision-making and health outcomes. Policy-makers, ethicists, journalists, and advocates for reproductive health justice also would find the text a useful resource.
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Reviewer:
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Gwendolyn Foster,
MSN
(University of Cincinnati School of Nursing)
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Range
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Question
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Score
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| 1-10 |
Are the author's objectives met? |
10 |
| 1-10 |
Rate the worthiness of those objectives. |
10 |
| 1-5 |
Is this written at an appropriate level? |
5 |
| 1-5 |
Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) |
3 |
| 1-5 |
Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) |
5 |
| 1-5 |
Rate the authority of the authors. |
5 |
| 1-5 |
Are there sufficient illustrations? |
N/A |
| 1-5 |
Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. |
N/A |
| 1-5 |
Rate the print quality of the illustrations. |
N/A |
| 1-5 |
Are there sufficient references? |
3 |
| 1-5 |
Rate the currency of the references. |
5 |
| 1-5 |
Rate the pertinence of the references. |
5 |
| 1-5 |
Rate the helpfulness of the index. |
5 |
| 1-5 |
If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book |
N/A |
| 1-10 |
Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? |
10 |
| 1-10 |
If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? |
N/A |
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Reviewer:
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Gwendolyn Foster,
MSN
(University of Cincinnati School of Nursing)
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Description
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| This book brilliantly describes our American cultural values and how they impact maternal health positively and negatively, through the lens of social determinants of health (SDOH). Using lived experiences, it takes readers on a journey from the multiple perspectives of American cultural values to how we move forward as a community. |
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Purpose
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| The purpose of the book is to address the reasons behind poor maternal health outcomes. It explores different maternal health environments, how each is affected by American cultural values, and the outcomes produced. This objective is worthy. |
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Audience
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| This book should be required reading in medical institutions. As a certified nurse midwife (CNM), military leader, and DrPH candidate, the book resonates with me in amplifying why we must continue the hard work in this area. The team of contributors are credible in their areas of expertise, providing the truth even when American cultural values have failed the very women we are here to care for. |
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Features
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| The book comprehensively covers how American cultural values impact maternal health outcomes by sharing the lived experiences of women throughout all walks of life. It explains the origins of America's founding principles, revealing how the very values intended to set individuals up for success harm those without the same privilege. The book further shows how America's political landscape affects women's lives through the lens of SDOH and what this means for communities. Superbly, it ends by asking readers to reflect on "why we do what we do." The book covers every topic, from LGBTQ+ to incarceration. My only criticism is that the material left me wanting more. |
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Assessment
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| This book is needed. While many books and articles cover SDOH and maternal health outcomes, they usually only focus on a particular lived experience. This is the first book to explore multiple lived experiences, each encounter as precious as the last, while weaving in American cultural values and SDOH, and continuously addressing the question "why." This is my first time seeing maternal health presented this way, and I cannot wait for the next iteration, as the book just touches the tip of the iceberg. |
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