HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF RURAL, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN WOMEN FROM AN ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 160
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This was an ethnographic study of the health beliefs and practices of rural Appalachian women in western North Carolina. A purposive sample of informants was identified and interviewed to identify current health-related beliefs and practices and to examine emergent themes. The following three findings of the study are ones which have not been previously reported in the literature: (a) the traditional Appalachian cultural pattern includes health maintaining and preventive health practices, (b) determinism is a cultural trait of the informants in this study, and (c) intuitive knowing is an important source of insight and guidance for health-related problem solving. The remaining findings of the study are supported by findings from previous studies. Those included: (a) family is most important and the mother is central to the family, and (b) self-care is a valued tradition.

This study adds to the body of knowledge about Appalachian culture and health patterns. The results of the study can contribute to the cultural competency of nurses who work with southern Appalachian women. Given the dual processes of cultural change and use of medical care, southern Appalachians may be at risk for cultural iatrogenesis or alienation from their cultural self-care knowledge. Further study is recommended in the following areas: (a) conduct a similar study with Appalachian men to identify whether there would be gender differences in the data; (b) using the same methodology, compare a rural and an urban group of informants; and (c) conduct a systematic quantitative design to test the findings of the study.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: B, page: 1382.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1994.

School code: 0005.