MCH Student:

Brianne Warren

Date of Defense:

June 4, 2019

Abstract:

Abstract: Women who experience incarceration have a disproportionately higher rate of physical, mental, and social health issues compared to non-incarcerated women and incarcerated men.

There are many potential strategies that could improve the preexisting health disparities among this vulnerable population of women, including high-quality health literacy programming at the correctional level. This report discusses the Women’s Health Literacy Course, a curriculum designed for incarcerated women at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee. The course was developed and implemented by a small cohort of master’s students from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. The theoretical frameworks and processes used when creating and teaching this program will be discussed in detail throughout the report. Development and implementation of the Women’s Health Literacy Course resulted in high levels of participant satisfaction and engagement, facilitator satisfaction, and program feasibility. The course’s strengths and limitations will be discussed, as well as recommendations and future directions.