THE EFFECT OF A SELF-CARE HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM ON PARENTS' SELF-CARE KNOWLEDGE, HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL AND CHILDREN'S MEDICAL UTILIZATION RATE.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 124
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of a Self-care Health Education Program (SHEP) on parents' knowledge, health locus of control, and children's medical visits for minor illnesses. The educational intervention was conducted by a nurse practitioner in a community setting. Orem's self-care nursing framework guided the study.

The study was conducted in a suburb of a Southeastern metropolitan area. The treatment subjects were mothers who voluntarily attended the SHEP. Control subjects were mothers selected at random from the same population. Twelve mothers and their 19 children comprised the treatment group; thirteen mothers and their 19 children comprised the control group.

Data were collected using a self-care knowledge questionnaire, Wallston's Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale, and medical record review for children's medical utilization rate. Pretreatment and posttreatment data were obtained on the three dependent variables. Analysis of covariance and multiple regression procedures were used as tests of significance. The size of the sample decreased the power of the statistical analysis.

Participants in the SHEP demonstrated increased self-care knowledge scores when compared to the control group (P = .001). The SHEP participants also demonstrated an increase in internal health locus of control when compared to the control group (P = .006); there was no difference between groups in external health locus of control. There was no difference between groups in children's medical utilization rate.

The results of the study indicate that self-care knowledge and internal health locus of control may be influenced by self-care health education. Behaviors such as parents' patterns of seeking medical care for their children's minor illnesses may be mediated by variables other than self-care knowledge and health locus of control.

It is recommended that: (a) this study be replicated with other populations; and (b) that nurses conduct studies on variables other than, and in addition to, those addressed in this investigation.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-08, Section: B, page: 2628.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1985.

School code: 0005.