The Associated Risk Factors That Lead To The Onset Of Sarcoidosis In Black American Women

Associated Risk Factors That Lead to the Onset of Sarcoidosis in Black Women by Tiffany McIntyre Simmons MS, Troy University, 2005 BS, Albany State University, 1997 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2016 Abstract Sarcoidosis is a disease characterized as noncaseation granulomas. Granulomas are clusters of cells that form a discrete nodule. This research was important because Black American women develop saroidosis at a higher rate than any other race. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the impact of sarcoidosis in the lives of Black American women diagnosed with the disease and to consider howSarcoidosis is a disease characterized as noncaseation granulomas. Granulomas are clusters of cells that form a discrete nodule. This research was important because Black American women develop saroidosis at a higher rate than any other race. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the impact of sarcoidosis in the lives of Black American women diagnosed with the disease and to consider how occupational experiences may have contributed to participants’ development of sarcoidosis. Research states that domestic work such as cleaning, when performed on a daily basis or as an occupation, can contribute to adverse health effects. The framework of this study utilized the transtheoretical model of behavior change while the overall research questions centered on the effects of sarcoidosis on the quality of life of Black American women. This qualitative research included interviews with thirteen Black American women diagnosed and living with sarcoidosis at various stages. Data were collected using the software tool HyperRESEARCH. Both purposive sampling and snowball sampling technique was used for this research. Data were gathered using a general profile of the lived experiences of women with sarcoidosis. The findings revealed that the common lived experience that has potentially put Black American women at risk for developing sarcoidosis is bleach. My recommendations for further research would be to expand the locations of participants to across the United States. The implications for positive social change may result from broader knowledge of the disease through education, even for those who are not at risk for developing it. Chronic sarcoidosis can be fatal if untreated. Associated Risk Factors That Lead to the Onset of Sarcoidosis in Black Women by Tiffany McIntyre Simmons MS, Troy University, 2005 BS, Albany State University, 1997 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2016 Dedication I want to dedicate this study to my mother, Gloria Jean Tolbert-McIntyre. She was the inspiration of this dissertation. The topic was created for and inspired by her battle with sarcoidosis, the proposal was written for and inspired by her fight against sarcoidosis. My goal was to perform the research and save her, and sadly it did not happen. She lost her fight to sarcoidosis, and I lost my will and my focus when I lost her. The 18-month hiatus this dissertation waited in needed to happen. I was lost. I was depressed. I gained weight. I gave up. And then one day as I was talking to my grandmother, she said, “Your mother would not want you to quit, and even though you were not able to save her, you have the chance to save someone else’s mother. ” I felt like it was my mother speaking to me through my grandmother. I re-sparked my desire to finish my dissertation and obtain my doctorate degree, and at that point, I picked up where I left off, completed the research and, over time, finished. The celebration will be bittersweet, but please know that it was all done for you, Mama. I love you!