Health care perceptions of mid-western urban-dwelling African-American women

As a part of a comprehensive women's health needs assessment performed in Missouri, two focus groups were conducted with urban-dwelling African-American women. Ten African-American women 18 to 39 years of age comprised one group and 10 African-American women 40 to 74 years of age comprised the other group. Participants discussed major health concerns and issues related to service access. Although similar responses occurred between groups, major concerns such as reproductive issues in the younger women and chronic diseases in the older women, were clearly age-related. Participants commented on impediments to health care and adequacy of services. The Missouri Department of Health will use these findings in planning group-specific health interventions and services.