FOLK HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF NURSES (ALTERNATIVE MEDECINE).
Contributors: University of Memphis.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 141
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Health.; Health Sciences, Public Health.
Description: The purposes of this study were to (a) determine nurses' folk health beliefs and practices and what relationships these have to clinical practices, and (b) analyze the psychometric properties of the questionnaire developed to describe and measure these folk health beliefs and practices. The researcher developed and pilot tested the Health Beliefs and Practices Questionnaire (HBPQ), consisting of 32 folk health belief/practice statements organized in three scales of origins of illness, home remedies/self-care practices, and alternative practitioners/practices. Responses to each folk health statement are measured by degree of nurse personal agreement/disagreement, nurse agreement with patient suggestion, and nurse suggestion to patient.

The HBPQ and demographics form were mailed to a random sample of 400 registered nurses in Arkansas. Analysis of the data from 209 respondents included descriptive statistics and chi-square. Reliability and validity analyses for the HBPQ included alpha coefficients of reliability and factor analyses.

Over one-third of the nurses agreed with 18 of the 32 folk health belief/practice items. Items with the highest agreement were related to the connection of mind and body. The results revealed four items highly agreed with by nurses and incorporated into practice: "A person's state of mind can affect the course of illness", "Massage may be used to relieve pain and enhance healing", "Aloe vera can help heal burns", and "Worrying can cause some people to get sick." Two items highly disagreed with were avoided in practice: "Eating fish and drinking milk together can cause illness" and "Illness may be due to magic." No significant patterns were found relating nurse demographics to personal beliefs, agreement or suggestion. Sources of folk health information were summarized. Reliability and validity measures for the HBPQ were favorable.

It was concluded that a significant number of nurses do agree with selected folk health beliefs. Personal agreement did not always result in nurse suggestion to patients; however, nurses were likely to make suggestions only if they agreed with them as beliefs. They are also likely to agree with patient suggestions (when not harmful) even if they do not express them as personal beliefs.

Recommendations for further studies, educational applications, and instrument revisions were made.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06, Section: B, page: 3661.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, 1996.

School code: 1194.