Department of Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
University of Massachusetts
LGBTQ+ Youth Experiences with Healthcare Utilization and Delivery
A YPAR project led by Dr. Sarah L. Goff at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in collaboration with colleagues at UMass and Amherst Regional High School.
Study Years: 2022 - TBD
We are broadly interested in developing a better understanding of the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth with the healthcare system in Western Massachusetts, with an aim to identifying ways to improve care delivery. This health equity research project will use participatory methods to engage youth as researchers to explore the research questions. While we have a general framework for the research, we will allow youth to form their own research questions and photo prompts, so other topics may arise (other challenges with education, within the community, etc.).
Meet The Team
This project will use Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methods, and specifically photovoice, to engage youth at Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) as researchers. YPAR gives youth the opportunity to study social issues affecting them and empowers youth to take steps to solve these issues. Photovoice is a research method often used in health promotion research in which photo prompts are developed, and community participants are tasked with taking photographs in response to these prompts. These visual representations are then shared and discussed, with participants reflecting on the reasons, emotions, and experiences that led them to these photos. Throughout the course of the study, youth researchers will get training in photovoice, participate in data collection and analysis with 3 retreat-style workshops, and use their findings to take action in their communities.