Health practices of adult Hispanic women

Abstract

The purpose of this focused ethnography was to discover the patterns and variability of health practices used by Hispanic women aged 20-40 years. Seven adult Hispanic women from an urban New Mexico county were interviewed four to seven times each about their health practices. The women described their views of good health. They were aware of current health promotion practices such as good nutrition and exercise. They also practised safety measures for themselves and their families. These women did not report any information on specific cultural disease prevention behaviours and described few practices related to their Hispanic culture. A theme that also emerged from the data was an emphasis on the importance of spirituality and the integration of the spiritual dimension as important to healthy living. Implications for health care providers include knowing that urban adult Hispanic women are versed in contemporary health literature and take better care of their families than of themselves.

Diabetes self-management: Perspectives of Latino patients and their health care providers

“…Dominant themes included the importance of spirituality and how general socially-induced stress and multi-caregiving responsibilities interfere with disease management. This is in keeping with a study of Latino adults that emphasized integration of spirituality into the concept of healthy living [36]. Practitioners in this study did not recognize this emphasis on religion in patients' locus of control, a gap that is illuminating and provides another promising tailoring opportunity in clinical interventions.…”

The Social Construction and Conceptualization of Sexual Health Among Mexican American Women

“…The gender roles of wife-mother are integral to the cultural value of familialism, a strong identification, attachment, and loyalty to the family (Marin & Marin, 1991). Through the influence of familialism, the health and well-being of the family receive top priority over the personal health needs of the Latina wife-mother (Higgins & Learn, 1999;Mendelson, 2002;Russell, Lee, & Latino/a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Workgroup, 2004).…”

Spirituality and Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among Latino Men and Women in Massachusetts

“…20 Finally, spirituality has been linked to healthy living (ie, stress reduction, avoiding tobacco) as well as an enhanced ability to cope with adverse health outcomes among Latina women. 15,21,22 While the relationship between spirituality and health appears to be robust in the general population, less is known about this relationship among Latinos, and in particular Latino men. Additionally, the relationship between spirituality and specific health behaviors, such as physical activity and sedentary behavior, has not been studied.…”