RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Health literacy is a requisite skill for making personal health and health care decisions. Low health literacy may contribute to lower cervical cancer screening rates and cervical cancer health disparities among Mexican-American women in South Texas. OBJECTIVE: To explore older Mexican-American women's health literacy related to cervical cancer from the perspective of Zarcadoolas, Pleaseant, and Greer's health literacy model. METHODS: We conducted five focus groups and seven individual interviews with 30 Mexican and Mexican-American women in South Texas. We analyzed demographic data using descriptive statistics and conducted thematic analysis of focus group and individual interview data. KEY RESULTS: Several themes reflected the domains of health literacy, including fundamental literacy ("speaking of language"), science literacy (cancer prevention), cultural literacy ("we are different"), civic literacy (the availability of "consejos" [advice]), and media literacy (e.g., "telenovelas" [soap-operas] teach a lot). In this article, we present findings related to culture and language under the domains of fundamental and cultural literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Mexican-American women's cultural values and language use may serve as both deterrents and incentives to cervical cancer screening. The meaning of words can be lost in translations. Health care providers can use this information to provide cervical cancer screening education congruent with Mexican-American's culture, language, and code switching. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(1):e1-e8.]. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: The understanding of culture and language can help health care providers improve cervical cancer screening practices among Mexican-American women. The results from this study can be used to individualize patient care and to develop education and communication strategies that are similar to the population we serve, including Mexican-American women.

RESUMO

PURPOSE: To describe the home-based injury prevention practices used by low-income mothers of Mexican descent with their preschool children. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A descriptive qualitative study with convenience sampling of mothers (n=9) who are of Mexican descent and have preschool children. METHOD: Data collection consisted of ethnographic interviews supplemented by focused home observations. RESULTS: 2 themes emerged from the data: the spectrum of physical proximity and the use of injury prevention technology. The spectrum of physical proximity reflected the degree of physical closeness (i.e., supervising children, watching children closely, and being after children) that the mothers used to manage injury risk in their children. Children who were perceived as curious or restless, or too young were judged by the mothers as being prone to injury and requiring more maternal physical closeness. The participants used the injury prevention technology recommended by the experts despite their limited economic resources. However, this group of mothers used the spectrum of physical proximity as the main tool to prevent child injuries in their home. CONCLUSION: These findings provide an insight into the attitudes and behaviors of low-income, Mexican mothers toward injury prevention in the home. Awareness of these attitudes and behaviors will allow for the creation of interventions that take into account this maternal perspective.

Assuntos

Acidentes Domésticos/estatística & dados numéricos , Aculturação , Saúde Ambiental/estatística & dados numéricos , Hispânico ou Latino/estatística & dados numéricos , Mães , Saúde Pública , Segurança , Ferimentos e Lesões/prevenção & controle , Adolescente , Adulto , Antropologia Cultural , Criança , Proteção da Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Fatores de Risco , Texas , Adulto Jovem

RESUMO

For numerous reasons, children of Mexican descent experience many health disparities. One strategy for addressing these disparities is to increase health promotion and protection behaviors that mothers use with their preschool children. Limited literature is available on such practices used by mothers of Mexican descent with their healthy preschool children. This study explored child health promotion and protection practices used by mothers of Mexican descent. A naturalistic design, guided by Spradley's ethnographic interview techniques, was selected for this study. The sample included 9 Mexican-descent mothers from an urban U.S. community with healthy preschool children. Despite significant challenges, participants promoted and protected the health of their preschool children by al cuidado (taking care) and by being al pendiente (being mindful) of balancing the health of their children's bodies, minds, and souls. Understanding these mothers' approaches allows the creation of culturally sensitive health programs that can build on existing maternal strengths.

Assuntos

Atitude Frente a Saúde/etnologia , Cuidado da Criança/métodos , Proteção da Criança/etnologia , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Americanos Mexicanos/etnologia , Mães/psicologia , Aculturação , Adolescente , Adulto , Antropologia Cultural , Cuidado da Criança/psicologia , Proteção da Criança/estatística & dados numéricos , Pré-Escolar , Comportamento Alimentar/etnologia , Feminino , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Disparidades em Assistência à Saúde , Saúde Holística , Humanos , Masculino , Comportamento Materno/etnologia , Americanos Mexicanos/educação , Americanos Mexicanos/estatística & dados numéricos , México/etnologia , Mães/educação , Mães/estatística & dados numéricos , Pesquisa Metodológica em Enfermagem , Inquéritos e Questionários , Texas , Saúde da População Urbana/estatística & dados numéricos

RESUMO

CONTEXT: Current breast-feeding rates fall short of the recommendations set forth in Health People 2010. The Breast-feeding Attrition Prediction Tool (BAPT), administered in the postpartum period, has been useful in predicting breast-feeding attrition. However, assessing a woman's intention to breast-feed prior to birth would identify women at risk for breast-feeding attrition. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe a revised BAPT, administered antepartally that measures intention to breast-feed. METHODS: The BAPT, comprising 94 items on a 6-point Likert-type scale, was translated into Spanish and back-translated for accuracy. The BAPT was then revised by reducing the number of items to 35 (32 were used for analysis) and contracting the 6-point scale to 3 categories. A Bayesian item response model provided the psychometric properties of the revised BAPT. RESULTS: The revised BAPT was completed by 143 Mexican American pregnant women. Items, some reverse scored, were recoded as "agree" versus "disagree." Item analyses indicated a wide range of item discriminabilities, with most items being useful measures of intention to breast-feed. Person analyses provided scores for intention to breast-feed. A simpler scoring system was devised for applications. CONCLUSIONS: The revised BAPT shows promise as a measure of intention to breast-feed. The scoring system also indicates which women may need additional interventions to promote breast-feeding.

Assuntos

Aleitamento Materno/psicologia , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Intenção , Americanos Mexicanos/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Teorema de Bayes , Análise Fatorial , Feminino , Previsões , Humanos , México/etnologia , Enfermagem Neonatal , Psicometria , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Sudoeste dos Estados Unidos

RESUMO

Focus groups were conducted with low-income, pregnant women and new mothers receiving services from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC program) along with their male partners and their mothers. All participants were Hispanics of Mexican American origin. The topics for the focus-group discussions were breastfeeding beliefs and perceptions. All participants were aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. Participants identified time, embarrassment, and pain as barriers to breastfeeding; discussed decision-making efforts regarding breastfeeding; identified cultural beliefs related to breastfeeding; and discussed the lack of care-provider support for breastfeeding.