Althea Bailey
About me
I am currently a retired senior lecturer in the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at the University of West Indies, Mona campus in Kingston, Jamaica. Previously I managed public health programs for the Jamaica Ministry of Health, both at the national and sub-national levels. Throughout my career, particularly since my tenure at the UWI (beginning in 2004), my research work has focused on sociological research including sexuality, gender and health particularly the socio- cultural aspects of sexual and reproductive health. Alongside these primary areas, I have also looked at violence and substance abuse prevention as these are important social issues in the interplay between gender and reproductive health. Additionally, I have honed my skills in qualitative and mixed methods research related to the sociology of health and wellness and understanding the role of ethnicity, socio-economic status, culture, and religion.
Contributions to Science
Several of my publications are related to HIV prevention among key populations. The studies from which these publications emerge are examples of the intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaborations that I have developed. These publications largely comprise behavioral studies and provide information that can guide interventions for addressing populations at risk of poor reproductive health outcomes. I served as the primary investigator and co-investigator in these studies.
a. Bailey A, Figueroa P. Agency, lapse in condom use and relationship intimacy among female sex workers in Jamaica. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 2017; 20:5, 531-544. PMID: 28862527.
b. Bailey A, Figueroa P. A Conceptual Framework for Sex Work and HIV Risk in a Caribbean Country. Archives of Sexual Behaviour. 2015; 45(4):911-921. PMID: 25836026
c. Eldemire-Shearer D, Bailey A. Determinants of Risk Behaviours of Sex Workers in Jamaica: A Qualitative Approach. West Indian Medical Journal (WIMJ). 2009; 57 (5) 450-455. PMID: 19565974
Health Communication and the Psycho-social aspects of managing public health responses to communicable and non-communicable diseases is yet another focus of my research.
a) Thomas-Purcell K, Bailey A, Sealy D , Song , Ashing K. Cervical Cancer Stigma Among Caribbean Population: A Descriptive Paper. International Journal of Public Health 69 (2024) DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1606725DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1606725
b) Carroll K, Pottinger AM, Bailey A, Watson T, Frederick S. Living with the Threat of Covid-19: Exploring the Psychological Impact of Covid-19 in Those who Conceived Through ART Versus Spontaneously. Matern Child Health J. 2023 Jan;27(1):117-125. doi: 10.1007/s10995-022-03537-9. Epub 2022 Nov 9. PMID: 36352290; PMCID: PMC9646256.
c) Bailey A., McCaw-Binns A. Advancing Communication Strategies in Jamaica’s Response to the COVID 19 Pandemic. West Indian Medical Journal 2022:69 (7):461
d) Govia, I., Palmer, T., Stubbs, M., Harris, M., Bogle, D., Miller, S., Walters, C., Muir, S. A., & Bailey, A. (2022). Vulnerable group members coping with COVID-19 in Jamaica: A qualitative study. Traumatology, 28(3), 393–402.
e) Bailey, A., Harris, M., Bogle, D., Jama, A., Muir, S., Miller, S., Walters C.A., Govia, I. (2021). Coping with COVID 19: Health Risk Communication and Vulnerable Groups. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-25. doi:10.1017/dmp.2021.225. Impact Factor 1.03.
f) Whitehorne-Smith P, Mitchell G, Bailey A, Agu C, Campbell Williams K, Oshi D, Harrison J, Abel W. “Socio-demographic correlates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Jamaicans