My Health My Choice: Analyzing Open Ended Responses & Gaining Insight On Communication Diversity Among Native Women with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

In the United States, Native women with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are one of the most under-screened populations for cancer. Routine breast and cervical screening is important for women's healthcare and is crucial for finding cancer at an early stage when treatment is most effective. However, many Native women with IDD encounter many structural and systematic barriers that continue to lead to lower screening rates, delayed diagnosis, and mistrust in the healthcare system.

This project acknowledges that everyone has the right to understand their health and make informed choices in a way that feels safe, respectful, and relevant. The purpose of this study is to provide an accessible health education program designed to support Native women with IDD in understanding and participating in cancer screenings. This study is designed to increase awareness and knowledge among Native women with IDD and their supporters about the cancer screening process while also aiming to improve participation and reduce health disparities. In pilot testing My Health My Choice administered an open ended knowledge test to 29 adult Native women with IDD and their supporters. In order to analyze the open ended responses we began by applying an initial scoring rubric to categorize and distinguish the different responses. Several team meetings were held to develop a more inclusive and consistent scoring rubric that had clear and established guidelines. The open ended responses were then reanalyzed using the revised rubric and consensus was assessed through the implementation of an inter-reliability analysis.

Preliminary results indicate the revised rubric has potential to be implemented and utilized to achieve consistent agreement when scoring open-ended responses. We expect My Health My Choice to reduce barriers and disparities, increase early detection, and improve cancer screening for Native women with IDD by empowering them to make informed health decisions.

In conclusion, the research limitations include time constraints, lack of prior studies, and a limited sample size that may not represent the whole population in regards to other demographics, cultures, or geographies. However, the next phase involves collaborating with health educators to ensure cultural responsiveness, re-test participants to determine changes in knowledge, and assess the effectiveness of implementing My Health My Choice into the healthcare system.