A 5 page article analysis that summarizes and critiques a research study conducted by Gold, et al (2001) entitled "Ecological analysis of teen birth rates: association with community income and income inequality." The writer summarizes the researchers' perspective, methodology, results and analysis and agrees with this research team that while sexual activity is the result of individual behaviors, this data implies that there are also social inequalities that may contribute significantly to the differences between regions. No additional sources cited.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khgoldel.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
The research team of Gold, et al (2001) designed their study in order to assess whether or not per capital income and income inequality could be independently associated with
the birth rate among adolescents in populous US counties. As this examination of their research will demonstrate, their findings suggests that while sexual activity is the result of individual behaviors,
this data implies that there are also social inequalities that may contribute significantly to the differences between regions. The researchers introduce their topic by pointing out that in both
ecological and multilevel studies, income inequality ahs been linked to such social statistics as higher rates of adult mortality, poor self-rated health, depression and unhealthy behaviors. They point out that
it has been theorized that these inequalities in health arise due to adverse psychosocial environments and because fewer resources are devoted to ensure the well-being of those
individuals on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder (Gold, et al, 2001). While the researchers assert that numerous adult studies have been conducted, there has, thus far, been little
research into the relationship between income inequality and health in children and adolescents. Gold, et al (2001) point out that teen childbearing constitutes a significant adolescent health issue. Therefore,
they posit that in order to reduce teen birth rates, it is imperative that there should be further comprehension regarding the significance of contributing factors. Previous research has identified some
of the community-level factors that have been associated with teen birth rates, which includes "poverty, racial composition, and educational attainment" (p. 161). The methodology used in this study was
to analyze data taken from the 1990 US Census in order to compute the 90:10 decile share ratio, which is an index of income inequality (Gold, et al, 2001). This